(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Jeong-hyeon and Ryu Mina = On the 7th, the People Power Party launched an all-out offensive against Minister of Justice candidate Kim Seung-won, calling the suspicion of soliciting approval for clinical trials of a new drug a "rat poison gate" and demanding that candidate Kim resign not only as a candidate but also as a member of the National Assembly.
In addition, he said that Kim Hyun-ji, the Blue House's first deputy director, was behind this controversial cabinet reshuffle, and pressured him to appear at the government audit.
◇ Attack on Kim Seung-won, “Rat poison gate… He should resign from his position as a candidate and member of the National Assembly.”
The People Power Party poured out crossfire, calling Candidate Kim's suspicions a 'rat poison gate' that goes beyond lobbying for new drug approval to stock price manipulation. At the same time, they called on candidate Kim to resign from his position as ministerial candidate and member of the National Assembly.
At the Supreme Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on this day, floor leader Jeong Jeong-sik criticized, "A member of the National Assembly helped a company that concealed the drug that led to the death of laboratory rats by saying 'oppa'."
Supreme Council member Kim Jae-won sarcastically said, "Isn't the relationship between Candidate Kim and broker Mr. Yang a community of life?" Supreme Council member Kim Min-soo said, "'If the state manipulates it, the group should be put to shame,' these were Lee Jae-myung's words," and emphasized that not only should there be a full re-investigation, but also a government investigation and special prosecution if necessary.
Chief Spokesperson Park Seong-hoon met with reporters after the highest ranking and emphasized, "We will thoroughly reveal the truth of the ugly rat poison gate that attempted to poison the people at the hearing."
Choi Eun-seok, senior floor spokesperson, also criticized in a commentary, saying, “The Democratic Party is in a hurry to protect itself. It cannot even distinguish between legislative activities and unfair requests,” adding, “Candidate Kim should resign from his position as a candidate and as a member of the National Assembly.”
5-term lawmaker Sang-Hyun Yoon said on CBS Radio, "If you look at the transcript (between Candidate Kim and the broker), it seems that it was lobbying for private interests rather than conveying public interest complaints," and fiercely criticized the case, saying, "It's a gate, and it's a re-investigation."
Rep. Yoon pointed out that the pharmaceutical company it lobbied for received investment of 6.3 billion won from another company after approval, and that the invested company was on the verge of delisting and investors suffered losses, and also claimed that Judge Jeong, who dismissed the arrest warrant for Mr. Kang, the CEO of the pharmaceutical company involved, was close to candidate Kim.
Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, who has been exposing recordings related to this suspicion day after day, pointed out on Facebook, "There have been zero Ministers of Justice with ex-convicts in the history of the Republic of Korea since the Provisional Government. If candidate Kim, a convict with a drunk driving conviction, becomes Minister of Justice, that record will be broken."
◇ Targeting Kim Hyun-ji, “Personnel verification gate, National Assembly inspection should come out”… Dragon offensive continues
The People Power Party claimed that the second cabinet ultimately failed the Blue House's personnel verification, and that Deputy Director Kim Hyun-ji was behind it.
Representative Jang Dong-hyuk pointed out that the ministerial candidates at the highest level do not comply with the government's real estate policy, and added, "I wonder if Director Kim, who has 'knowledge of everything,' may have also trampled on personnel verification."
Chief Spokesperson Park also pointed out at the briefing, "The first special inspector general of the Lee Jae-myung administration must do is the personnel verification gate related to Director Kim."
In a commentary, Senior Spokesperson Choi said, "It is now necessary to clearly reveal what role Director Kim played in the personnel process," and announced that he would definitely demand Director Kim's attendance at the National Assembly inspection.
The People Power Party continued its campaign against candidate Yong.
Chief Spokesperson Park emphasized, “We need to find out who the parasitic politicians who stuck straws in taxpayers’ money and who were the forces that acted like hosts.”
Rep. Jin-Woo Joo mentioned on Facebook that Candidate Yong proposed an amendment to the Political Parties Act and Public Official Election Act in August 2023 that increased proportional representation and enabled election alliances with large political parties, and criticized it as "a 'Democratic Party parasitic law' that lacks the novelty of a young politician."
