Looking Around, Then 'Click'... Aide Caught Secretly Taking Photos During Confirmation Hearing

The camp of Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won acknowledged and apologized for an incident in which one of his aides photographed People Power Party Representative Joo Jin-woo during a confirmation hearing.

However, the camp clarified that no one, including Kim himself, ordered or was involved in the photography.

The incident came to light after being caught on camera by media outlet PennMike during the confirmation hearing yesterday (September 15).

The footage shows Kim's aide standing behind Rep. Joo, repeatedly looking at documents Joo was holding, and secretly taking photos of them.

At the time, Representative Park Hyung-soo, the opposition ranking member from the People Power Party, witnessed the act and raised an issue through a point of order. Yesterday (September 15) afternoon, Rep. Joo posted on his Facebook page, describing the aide's photography as "illegal surveillance" and warning of legal action.

Joo stated, "Nominee Kim's aide peeked at and spied on my hearing preparations from behind me, a member of the confirmation committee, and eventually took secret photos," asserting, "Anyone can see that this is blatant surveillance."

He went on to warn that he would take strong legal action.

Representative Kim Seung-won's office later issued a statement saying, "We sincerely apologize to Representative Joo Jin-woo for causing concern due to an inappropriate incident that occurred during the confirmation hearing."

The office explained, however, "The aide in question is an inexperienced young staff member in their 20s who took the photo out of poor judgment during the hearing, and deleted it immediately upon realizing the mistake."

It added, "Regardless of the reason, we acknowledge that it was improper conduct," stating, "We make it clear that no one, including the nominee, ordered or was involved in taking the photo."

The office added that it would take strict disciplinary measures against the aide and work to prevent recurrence.

It also requested restraint from the public to prevent the staff member's personal information and photos from being indiscriminately circulated.

(Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Lee Da-in | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News | Footage courtesy of PennMike TV YouTube) 
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.