PM nominee faces allegations

[Anchor]

Several allegations have been raised against Kim Min-seok, the Prime Minister nominee, ahead of the confirmation hearing.

These include personal debts of over 100 million won, expenses for his son's study abroad, and the so-called "dad chance" allegations.

Reporter Lee Yoo-min has the details and the nominee's explanations.

[Report]

This is the asset declaration of Prime Minister nominee Kim Min-seok.

His assets have increased by over 700 million won in the past five years.

However, a debt of 140 million won borrowed from acquaintances has remained unchanged for seven years.

Among these is Mr. Kang, who provided illegal political funds of over 250 million won during the 2008 Political Funds Act violation case.

The opposition suspects that this is not just a simple loan but is related to illegal political funds.

[Park Hyeung-soo/People Power Party Senior Deputy Floor Leader: "He borrowed money again in 2018 from someone who provided illegal political funds and still hasn't repaid it. I really don't know how to understand this."]

Allegations surrounding his children are also ongoing.

Kim's son graduated from an international high school and entered a prestigious private university in the United States last year.

Typically, tuition and living expenses amount to about 100 million won per year, raising questions about how Kim, whose declared assets are only about 200 million won, managed to cover these costs.

There are also allegations of a so-called "dad chance."

During high school, Kim's son pushed for legislation to mandate plagiarism prevention education, and in November 2023, a member of the Democratic Party introduced a similar bill.

Kim was also included as a co-sponsor.

After entering college, his son's nonprofit organization co-hosted a seminar at the National Assembly with Kim's office.

[Kim Yong-tae/Chairman of the Emergency Response Committee of the People Power Party: "There are concerns that this was used in college admissions, and if that is the case, public outrage is indeed growing."]

Today (6.13), Kim addressed these allegations.

First, regarding personal debts, he stated that he extended the repayment period to prioritize public debts such as fines and taxes, and he has now repaid all debts through loans.

He also clarified that his son's legislative activities related to plagiarism prevention were not used in college applications and that his ex-wife covered his son's tuition.

However, Kim did not present any documentation to support his claims regarding debt repayment and tuition fees.

Kim also emphasized that the 2008 Political Funds Act violation case itself has a strong character of targeted investigation and stated that it would be appropriate to summon prosecutors and related individuals as witnesses for the confirmation hearing.

This is Lee Yoo-min from KBS News.