With two days to go before the confirmation hearing for Prime Minister nominee Kim Min-seok, the ruling and opposition parties are clashing head-on.

The People Power Party is urging Kim to resign by highlighting various allegations surrounding him, while the Democratic Party of Korea is strongly opposing the People Power Party's offensive, labeling it as 'color politics and lowly smear tactics.'

On the 22nd in the afternoon, Commissioner Bae Jun-young of the People Power Party criticizes Prime Minister nominee Kim Min-seok for refusing to accept witnesses and failing to provide materials requested by the members at the National Assembly's communication hall in Yeouido, Seoul. /Courtesy of News1

On the 22nd, the People Power Party held a press conference at the National Assembly, emphasizing that the prosecution has begun investigations into allegations related to Kim's finances. They criticized, saying, 'This is the first time a Prime Minister nominee has been a suspect under investigation by the prosecution.'

The People Power Party pointed out that Kim's attempts to clarify through broadcasts and Facebook have instead amplified the allegations and demanded that he should not evade questions during the hearing on the grounds of being a suspect.

The People Power Party also criticized that the selection of witnesses and submission of documents are not being carried out properly. They claimed, 'We only requested five witnesses related to debt, excluding family and ex-wife, but both the candidate and the Democratic Party rejected even that,' arguing that this is no different from admitting guilt. They described the document submissions as 'empty' and invoked terms such as 'scattershot hearing,' 'keep away hearing,' and 'don't mention hearing.'

The People Power Party raised various allegations regarding Kim's increase in wealth, income from book publication celebratory events, and expenses for children's study abroad, claiming, 'There are more than 10 reasons why others would resign over just one issue,' asserting that Kim lacks the qualifications as a responsible national leader. Some lawmakers demanded 'immediate resignation' while questioning the legitimacy of the hearing itself.

On the 22nd in the morning, Commissioner Chae Hyun-il of the Democratic Party of Korea urges the People Power Party to cease the labeling and smear campaign against Prime Minister nominee Kim Min-seok at the National Assembly's communication hall in Yeouido, Seoul. /Courtesy of News1

The Democratic Party of Korea rebutted the People Power Party's concerns over terms like 'encroacher' and 'anti-encroacher' used in Kim's master's thesis, calling it 'a forced argument with outdated color politics.' They emphasized that these terms are generally used in China to refer to North Korean defectors, criticizing the People Power Party for consistently making baseless accusations.

The Democratic Party dismissed allegations regarding unregistered assets from wedding gifts in 2019, arguing that 'Kim was neither a public official nor a member of the National Assembly at the time,' therefore he had no obligation to register assets. As for the People Power Party's proposal to summon Kim's ex-wife as a witness for the hearing, they condemned it as 'a lowly political offensive unprecedented in the history of National Assembly hearings.'

The Democratic Party criticized the People Power Party for neglecting reflection and renewal, focusing only on obstructing national governance, urging them to 'cooperate for national stability and crisis resolution instead of hindering the formation of Lee Jae-myung's first cabinet.'

The ruling and opposition parties are blaming each other for the collapse of negotiations over witness selection, raising the possibility of an unprecedented 'hearing without witnesses.'

Meanwhile, during a luncheon meeting with the leadership of the ruling and opposition parties, President Lee Jae-myung noted regarding concerns over Kim, 'It would be desirable to observe the hearing process and listen to his clarifications.'