The camp of Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won has acknowledged and apologized after an aide was caught taking photos of People Power Party Representative Joo Jin-woo during a confirmation hearing.

However, they clarified that no one, including nominee Kim, had ordered or been involved in the photography.

The origin of the controversy was captured by cameras from media outlet Pennmike during the confirmation hearing yesterday (September 15).

The footage showed the nominee's aide standing behind Representative Joo, continuously looking over the documents he was holding, and secretly taking photos of them.

At the time, Representative Park Hyung-soo of the People Power Party, the opposition ranking member of the committee, witnessed the act and raised the issue on a point of order, while Representative Joo took to his Facebook page yesterday (September 15) afternoon to denounce the aide's photographing as "surveillance" and warned of legal action.

Representative Joo asserted, "Nominee Kim's aide peeked at my question preparations from behind me as a hearing committee member, spied on them, and ultimately took photos secretly," adding, "By any standard, this is clear surveillance."

He then warned that he would pursue strong legal action.

Kim Seung-won's office subsequently released 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 process."

However, the office explained, "The aide in question is an inexperienced young employee in their 20s who took the photo due to poor judgment during the hearing, and deleted it immediately upon recognizing the wrongdoing."

The office added, "Regardless of the reason, we acknowledge that it was inappropriate conduct, and we clearly state that no one, including the nominee, ordered or was involved in taking the photos."

The office stated that it would take stern measures against the aide and make efforts to prevent any recurrence.

It also requested that the public refrain from indiscriminately circulating the employee's personal information and photos.

(Reported by Kim Min-jeong | Video by Lee Da-in | Design by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News | Footage courtesy of Pennmike TV YouTube)