On the 20th, the People Power Party held an emergency general meeting and a rally at the National Assembly, criticizing various allegations surrounding Prime Minister nominee Kim Min-seok sharply and repeatedly urging for the withdrawal of his nomination.
Song Eon-seok, the floor leader of the People Power Party, said at the general meeting that "Kim Min-seok has a history of being convicted by the Supreme Court but is evading responsibility by invoking terms like political prosecutors, targeted investigations, and prosecution manipulation instead of showing remorse or offering an apology," and added, "There is great public skepticism that this mirrors the behavior of President Lee Jae-myung."
Song, the floor leader, criticized, "If both the president and the prime minister have moral issues and a history of criminal offenses, we cannot expect proper appointments of public officials below them."
Choi Su-jin, the floor spokesperson, met with reporters after a closed-door general meeting and stated, "Kim nominee revealed that he received 300 million won in cash during publishing commemorative events in 2022-2023, but that cash was omitted from his asset report," adding, "There are various legal violations that may arise, including charges of false facts and violations of the Public Official Election Act and the Public Service Ethics Act."
The People Power Party also strongly criticized the Democratic Party of Korea for refusing to submit hearing materials and pushing for amendments to the confirmation hearing law.
Song, the floor leader, pointed out, "They have amended the law to punish corporations that refuse to submit materials, yet they refuse to submit materials for public official candidates," calling it "extreme hypocrisy."
He further stated, "Kim nominee has only responded to 7 out of 94 requests for material submission," adding, "A society where shameless individuals succeed and ethical individuals suffer cannot guarantee the future of Korea."
The People Power Party held a rally at the rotunda of the National Assembly that day, shouting slogans such as "Withdraw the immediate nomination of the corruption-laden Lee Jae-myung cabinet," and "Out with Kim Min-seok, the patron-client candidate!"
Kim Yong-tae, the emergency committee chair, raised his voice, stating, "The Lee Jae-myung administration cannot avoid personnel disasters from the very first step," and demanded, "Withdraw the nomination of Kim Min-seok immediately. If you push ahead as it is, the administration will be held responsible."
Kim Min-seok and the Democratic Party of Korea are countering the People Power Party's offensive by claiming, "The People Power Party is solely focused on political offensives and baseless allegations," stating that "Verification regarding Kim nominee should proceed according to the law and procedures."
Regarding allegations related to cash at the publishing commemorative event, they have stated that "There are no legally violated matters," and they are explaining the delays in material submission as being "for accuracy."
Regarding discussions on amending the confirmation hearing law, there is a stance that improvements are necessary since the hearings have transformed into a battleground for political disputes.