Rival Parties Clash Ahead of Kim Seung-won's Confirmation Hearing

[Anchor]

Following the resignation of Representative Yong Hye-in, the ruling People Power Party has ramped up its offensive against Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won. As the Democratic Party moves to defend him, the confirmation hearing for nominee Kim is scheduled to be held tomorrow (Sept. 15).

Reporter Kim Jin-u has the details.

[Reporter]

During its Supreme Council meeting this morning, the People Power Party sharply targeted Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won, who is facing allegations including soliciting approval for new drug clinical trials.

Regarding the resignation of Gender Equality and Family Minister nominee Yong Hye-in, the People Power Party dismissed as absurd the political rumors of a so-called scenario where nominee Kim is protected while nominee Yong is dropped.

[Jang Dong-hyeok / Leader, People Power Party: He has sucked the blood of stock investors through illicit lobbying and illegal requests for pharmaceutical favors. He created a family association so that his entire family could siphon off the public's tax money. Are they planning to gift the public, ahead of Chuseok, a complete set of crimes?]

The People Power Party emphasized that the Democratic Party's defense of nominee Kim ultimately stems from concerns over the "cancellation of indictments," and announced that it will concentrate its dispersed firepower squarely on nominee Kim.

In response, the Democratic Party criticized the opposition, arguing that the scrutiny over nominee Kim is focused not on verifying his competence and qualifications, but on who can raise the most sensational suspicions.

Making it clear that it will not be overwhelmed by the People Power Party's offensive, the party stated that it will respond firmly and sternly at the party level to groundless, fabricated attacks.

[Han Byeong-do / Floor Leader, Democratic Party: Raising groundless suspicions against the nominee and digging into his family's personal backgrounds are also problematic. Repeating hit-and-run style allegations a hundred times cannot turn false agitation into verification.]

As the People Power Party vows to sustain its offensive by continuously raising suspicions leading up to the upcoming Chuseok holiday, and the Democratic Party stands ready to counter what it calls unjust public opinion campaigns with strong responses, tomorrow's scheduled confirmation hearing for nominee Kim is expected to be a major turning point for the future political landscape.

(Video by: Lee Seung-hwan, Shin Dong-hwan | Video Editing: Lee Seung-hee)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.