[Anchor]

It has been belatedly revealed that candidate Kim Seung-won was previously sentenced to a fine of 700,000 won for drunk driving during his days as a lawyer. However, it has been confirmed that related materials, including the judgment record, were not submitted to the Democratic Party's nomination screening committee during the last 22nd general election.

This is an exclusive report by reporter Shin Yong-il.

[Reporter]

Ahead of the last 22nd general election, the Democratic Party's Public Office Candidate Screening Committee pledged a more thorough review than ever before.

[Kim Byung-gi / Chairman of the Democratic Party Candidate Screening Committee (November 16, 2023): Through fair and resolute verification, we will verify more strictly and thoroughly than any other election.]

When applicants submitted their application documents, they were strictly instructed to "attach details on all criminal and investigation records" and to "include everything, even crimes resulting in a fine of 1 million won or less, as well as non-indictment dispositions."

They even provided a checklist and notified applicants that "even if a long time has passed, all judgment documents or summary order documents must be attached."

At the time, one preliminary candidate explained, "Because the party told us to submit it without fail, I went directly to the court to obtain and submit a judgment document for a drunk driving fine from the 1990s."

However, as confirmed by SBS reporting, candidate Kim, who was a freshman lawmaker at the time, did not submit related materials such as the judgment document showing he was fined 700,000 won for drunk driving in 2008 to the Democratic Party's screening committee.

Although candidate Kim was caught for drunk driving once, which did not meet the Democratic Party's disqualification criteria for drunk driving at the time, the screening committee's review could not take place because the documents related to the drunk driving itself were not submitted.

Regarding the suspicion that the relevant materials were not submitted, candidate Kim's side stated, "Because we were preparing for the election campaign, the working-level staff handled the preparation of documents related to the nomination, so we do not know the exact details," adding, "We understand that we submitted all documents requested by the party in a manner that does not violate laws and regulations."

(Video by Yang Hyun-chul | Video Editing by Lee Seung-jin | Graphics by Han Heung-soo)