Parliamentary Panel Advances Justice Minister Nominee Despite Opposition Walkout

A National Assembly committee adopted a confirmation hearing report for justice minister nominee Kim Seung-won on Thursday, moving his nomination forward despite objections and a walkout by lawmakers from the main opposition People Power Party.

Members of the parliamentary legislation and judiciary committee approved the report after the opposition lawmakers left the plenary meeting. The People Power Party protested what it described as an attempt by the ruling Democratic Party to complete the process before allegations surrounding Kim had been fully addressed.

Opposition lawmaker Park Hyeung-soo said the questions raised during Kim’s confirmation hearing remained unresolved. The ruling party countered that Kim had provided sufficient explanations at Tuesday’s hearing, including his response to an allegation that he improperly lobbied the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2021.

The allegation centers on a claim that Kim sought to accelerate approval of a COVID-19 treatment at the request of a broker. Kim’s conduct and explanations have become a focal point in the opposition’s challenge to his suitability for the justice portfolio. The committee’s adoption of the report does not erase those objections, but it marks an important procedural step in the appointment process.

Kim is a two-term lawmaker with experience in both the judiciary and government. He served as a judge at the Jeonju District Court and the Suwon District Court before working in the presidential office during the administration of Moon Jae-in. He later entered the National Assembly in 2020 as a Democratic Party lawmaker.

Within the ruling party, Kim has served as the head of its legal affairs committee and as a senior member of the Assembly’s legislation committee. He also played a prominent role in the passage of revisions to the Criminal Procedure Act, placing him at the center of previous debates over the structure and powers of South Korea’s criminal justice system.

Thursday’s committee action underscores the sharply divided political environment surrounding senior government appointments. The ruling party’s decision to proceed without opposition participation is likely to intensify scrutiny of Kim’s record and the unresolved lobbying allegation as the nomination advances.

The dispute also carries broader implications for the Justice Ministry, which oversees major areas of criminal justice administration. Kim’s judicial background and legislative record give him extensive experience in legal policy, while the opposition argues that the allegations must be clarified before he can take charge of the ministry.