"No Grounds to Drop Kim Seung-won" vs. "Will Take to Streets if Appointed"

[Anchor]

Criticism has emerged that yesterday's (September 15) confirmation hearing for Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won lacked thorough vetting, with the political arena focusing solely on partisan strife. Although the hearing has ended, the ruling and opposition parties clashed again today. While the Democratic Party defended him as a well-qualified candidate with no disqualifying flaws, the People Power Party warned that it would take to the streets in protest if the appointment is pushed through.

First, reporter Kim Jin-woo reports.

[Reporter]

Democratic Party members of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee stepped forward today to defend Kim Seung-won, stating that the confirmation hearing confirmed he is "the right person for justice administration."

[Kim Gi-pyo / Democratic Party Lawmaker: The nominee answered faithfully based on data and facts. No serious grounds for disqualification that would hinder the performance of his duties were identified.]

The Democratic Party claimed that the confirmation hearing turned into a stage for partisan conflict rather than a test of competence because of the People Power Party's unreasonable arguments.

On the other hand, the People Power Party raised its voice calling for Kim's withdrawal, arguing that the hearing demonstrated he is "the worst Justice Minister nominee in history."

[Jeong Jeom-sig / People Power Party Floor Leader: The nominee's remarks citing a humanities background serve as evidence confessing to illegal solicitation. Unable to even offer an excuse, they exchanged tears and reduced the confirmation hearing to a melodrama.]

Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok told SBS over the phone, "If the ruling bloc pushes ahead with nominee Kim's appointment, we plan to launch an all-out fight, including street protests."

The People Power Party is expected to make a final decision on out-of-parliament protests after holding a public reporting rally at the National Assembly on September 22 to denounce the administration's alleged misgovernance.

The parliamentary confirmation hearing for Kim, conducted without a single witness or expert, concluded around midnight yesterday, drawing public criticism that it was an "inadequate vetting" mired in political bickering.

The Democratic Party plans to push for the adoption of the confirmation hearing report as early as tomorrow, but reaching a bipartisan agreement is expected to be difficult amid the ongoing standoff.

In that case, the president may ask the National Assembly to resend the report within a period of up to 10 days, and if it still falls through, the president can proceed with the appointment process.

Video by Lee Seung-hwan and Shin Dong-hwan | Video edited by Jeon Min-gyu
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.