Parliamentary committee adopts justice minister nominee report amid opposition walkout

On Thursday, the parliamentary legislation and judiciary committee voted to adopt the confirmation hearing report for Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won, even as members of the main opposition People Power Party exited the meeting in protest. PPP representative Park Hyeung-soo argued that the allegations raised during the hearing remained unresolved. The ruling Democratic Party countered that Kim had sufficiently clarified the accusations, which include claims of illegal lobbying to accelerate a COVID-19 treatment’s approval in 2021 at a broker’s request.

Kim, a two-term National Assembly member, formerly served as a judge at Jeonju and Suwon district courts and worked in the presidential office under former President Moon Jae-in. He also led the DP’s legal affairs committee and helped pass a revision to the Criminal Procedure Act. The committee’s decision moves his nomination forward despite the partisan dispute.