The Democratic Party of Korea stated regarding the allegations of bullying by the staff against Minister candidate Kang Seon-woo that it is "malicious doxxing."
Moon Geum-joo, a spokesperson for the Democratic Party, said during a written briefing on the 13th, "The allegations of bullying raised against candidate Kang are a malicious doxxing based on unverified information and are merely an attempt to undermine her credibility."
She further criticized, "The submission of materials and responses from the candidates has been proceeding smoothly so far, and there are no major issues in verifying their qualifications and capabilities," adding that "the People Power Party is distorting the hearing by clinging to unilateral claims and strategic framing rather than objective facts."
Moon, the spokesperson, asked, "Is the personnel hearing just a means for the People Power Party to obstruct state affairs?" and noted, "If the personnel hearings for the ministerial candidates become a target for political strife, the victims will be the citizens."
Candidate Kang is facing allegations of having her staff perform personal errands, such as toilet repairs and recycling. Of the 51 staff members appointed during the 5 years from 2020, when Kang was elected as a member of the National Assembly, until June 20th, 46 have been dismissed. All 14 who joined the office last year were dismissed.
Within the Democratic Party, claims supporting candidate Kang have sparked further controversy. Representative Heo Jong-sik stated on Facebook that he is beyond devastated and angry, feeling that "someone seems to be hiding behind the curtain and tormenting candidate Kang," asserting, "From what I've seen and experienced, candidate Kang is an upright person."
The People Power Party is intensifying its offensive regarding the allegations against candidate Kang, calling for her "retraction of nomination."
Han Dong-hoon, former leader of the People Power Party, mentioned on Facebook the day before that he would take legal action against the staff member who reported the allegations against candidate Kang, saying, "It's ridiculous that they are suing the staff member who reported the allegations rather than the reporter who covered the bullying," criticizing that "it is the worst kind of bullying to have staff repair one's own toilet."