[Exclusive] Democratic Party Rejects Adoption of Former Aide Kang Seon-woo as Witness

[Financial News] It was confirmed on the 13th that the People Power Party applied for a former aide as a witness to ascertain the facts regarding allegations of abuse and workplace harassment by the aides of Kang Seon-woo, the candidate for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, but the Democratic Party rejected it. This week's 'Confirmation Hearing Super Week' is likely to be filled with 'empty hearings' without witnesses or references.
According to the National Assembly's Gender Equality and Family Committee, the People Power Party members applied for Kang's former aide as a witness, but it was rejected due to opposition from the Democratic Party. The former aide is not a direct victim of Kang but is said to be well-informed about internal matters.
Kang is currently facing a confirmation hearing amid controversies over various abuses she allegedly committed against her aides in the past. Kang is accused of instructing aides to handle household waste, repair toilets, and more. Regarding this, Song Eon-seok, the emergency committee chairman and floor leader of the People Power Party, criticized on the 10th, saying, "If the abuse allegations are true, she is not qualified to be a minister or even a member of the National Assembly."
It is also known that Kang has appointed 51 aides and dismissed 46 of them since becoming a member of the National Assembly in 2020 over five years. Cheon Ha-ram, acting representative and floor leader of the Reform New Party, pointed out, "She used aides like servants," and "We cannot use a member of the National Assembly who cosplays as a queen as a minister."
The People Power Party believes that testimony from Kang's aides is necessary, given the pouring allegations of abuse and workplace harassment. However, due to the Democratic Party's opposition, there are complaints that proper verification may be difficult.
In fact, the adoption of witnesses and references for confirmation hearings of other ministerial candidates is also being thwarted. The Democratic Party also rejected the application for witnesses, including the husband of Jeong Eun-kyeong, the candidate for Minister of Health and Welfare, who bought stocks of a hand sanitizer company during the pandemic. Previously, the confirmation hearing for Prime Minister Kim Min-seok also proceeded without any witnesses being adopted due to opposition from the Democratic Party, despite various allegations.
Choi Soo-jin, the chief spokesperson of the People Power Party, appealed on the 12th, "Like the 'Zero Witness' prime minister hearing, candidate Baek Hoon has 0 witnesses and references, candidate Jeon Jae-soo of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and candidate Kim Young-hoon of the Ministry of Labor have 0 witnesses," and "Even now, the Democratic Party should disclose all materials transparently, normalize the hearings, and properly verify morality and qualifications."
The Democratic Party maintains its stance that the explanations of the parties involved should be heard in the hearings, as was the case during the verification of Prime Minister Kim.

haeram@fnnews.com Lee Hae-ram Reporter