People Power Party Tightens the Reins on Tandem Offensive to Unseat Kim Seung-won and Yong Hye-in
The People Power Party on the 4th concentrated its firepower on an offensive to unseat Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won, who faces allegations of improper solicitation involving approval of a clinical trial for a new COVID-19 drug, and Gender Equality and Family Minister nominee Yong Hye-in, criticized over issues including her simultaneous holding of a proportional representation post. At a floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly that day, the party lumped the two nominees together as "the ultimate in shamelessness" and pressed President Lee Jae-myung, who holds the authority over appointments, to withdraw the nominations and apologize before any further allegations emerge.
The criticism centered on nominee Kim. The People Power Party argued that the case goes beyond illegal solicitation, extends to unfair stock trading and signs of collusion with judges, and therefore warrants a special counsel investigation.
Kim Mi-ae, the party's senior deputy floor leader for policy, cited the released transcript, noting that on Oct. 7, 2021, when Yang, identified as the person who delivered the solicitation, asked nominee Kim to look into a clinical trial with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Kim replied, "The moment it is approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, you stand to make hundreds of billions of won," and that five days later he named the company and the department in charge in asking the food and drug safety commissioner for prompt handling. According to Kim, one week after nominee Kim's request, Sejong Medical invested 11.3 billion won in Genesell, and one week after that the ministry approved the clinical trial plan. She said that on the day the approval became known, Sejong Medical's share price surged in early trading before plunging to its daily lower price limit, with 37 percent of all issued shares sold off over two days, and that the suspension of the clinical trial reduced the book value of Sejong Medical's stake in Genesell to zero. "President Lee, who said stock manipulation brings utter ruin, should start by exposing the Kim Seung-won scandal," she said.
New material was also released. On social media that day, People Power Party Rep. Park Jeong-hun disclosed a whistleblower's opinion statement that Mr. A, who worked as a consultant at the company of Yang, the businesswoman who addressed nominee Kim as "oppa," filed with the Seoul Western District Court regarding Genesell owner Kang. In the statement, Mr. A argued that there are indications that during the lobbying process Kang attempted to transfer 5 million won to Rep. Kim Seung-won's side but the transfer fell through because it exceeded the limit, and that this quid pro quo must be recognized. He also pleaded that the losses of individual investors who joined the investment believing the disclosed information to be true cannot be overlooked, saying that some 700 minority shareholders are hoping for stern punishment of the defendants.
Independent Rep. Han Dong-hoon shared a link to Park's post and asked, "Is a 'public interest complaint' to Lee Jae-myung's Democratic Party a 'criminal complaint'?" before writing, "This rotten politics must be plowed under." Rep. Park Hyung-su, the opposition's secretary on the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee, noted that the person who led the legislation abolishing prosecutors' supplementary investigation authority is someone who received a suspended indictment on charges of promising a brokerage bribe, saying, "Nominee Kim should judge carefully where he stands, even at this late hour." People Power Party Senior Spokesperson Park Chung-kwon said in a statement, "The only place nominee Kim belongs is the suspect's seat before a special counsel."
Pressure on nominee Yong Hye-in continued as well. Holding up photos from the "No Work, Yes Money" campaigns the nominee led in 2017 and 2019, Kim said, "While some people sweat and pay their taxes, we cannot entrust a Cabinet post to a politician who shirked responsibility while shouting for money without working." People Power Party Secretary-General Jung Hee-yong noted that the nominee has become the target of ridicule as the "Family Income Party" and "Benefits-hye-in," urging her to stop testing the public's patience and withdraw her nomination immediately. Kang Sun-young, the opposition's secretary on the Gender Equality and Family Committee, pointed out that the nominee is merely a figurehead of a de facto leftist organization, with an old leftist group that threatens the liberal democratic system lurking behind it.
The criticism also turned toward President Lee. People Power Party spokesperson Cho Yong-sul stressed, "The question of nominee Yong's qualifications—did the President look the other way, or did he fail to vet her at all?"—saying that it is common sense for the President to step in himself and withdraw the nomination. People Power Party Policy Committee Chair Lim I-ja demanded that the President withdraw the nominations by this weekend, saying, "The public's verdict is already in on Kim Seung-won, mired in solicitation corruption, and Yong Hye-in of the privilege-monopolizing family party: they are the ultimate in shamelessness."
