'Suwon's First Sitting Minister' Abandoned After 20 Days…Democratic Party Adopts 'Qualified' Report, Kim Seung-won Resigns Two Days Later

Kim Seung-won, the nominee for Justice Minister who had drawn high expectations from the local community as the first sitting lawmaker from Suwon to be appointed as a cabinet member, has withdrawn his candidacy 20 days after his nomination.

Nominee Kim held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Room on the morning of the 19th and announced, "After deep deliberation, I have decided to step down from the position of Justice Minister nominee."

He continued, "I strengthened my resolve after watching the President's press conference yesterday," and stated, "The lives of the people and the success of the government come first." He explained that he decided not to add burden to a government that must prioritize the livelihood of citizens and complete reforms.

President Lee stated in a press conference the previous day that he had "not yet reached a final conclusion" on whether to appoint nominee Kim, and would make a careful decision considering various controversies, capabilities, and the expectations of the public. By not immediately deciding on the appointment of a nominee who had already had his confirmation report adopted, his status became effectively unclear, and nominee Kim withdrew of his own accord just one day later.

Nominee Kim said, "I accept with gravity that I have fallen short of public expectations and will deeply reflect on my shortcomings," and stated, "I stop here the steps I was taking to fulfill my duties as Justice Minister."

Regarding controversies surrounding his spouse and family, he said, "I offer deepest condolences to the persons with disabilities and their families who may have been hurt by this matter, and to those who have devoted themselves in care work," while also stating, "Even if I step down from office, I will not abandon the truth."

With nominee Kim's withdrawal, a confrontation over responsibility regarding the Democratic Party's verification and political judgment of him, whom they deemed 'qualified' just two days prior, became unavoidable.

The National Assembly's Judiciary Committee adopted a personnel confirmation report on nominee Kim on the 17th, led by the Democratic Party despite opposition from ruling party lawmakers. However, one day after the report's adoption, the President withheld the appointment, and a day later the nominee withdrew, resulting in this outcome. The Democratic Party stated regarding the resignation, "We respect this decision made with deep contemplation," and "We will listen with a lower and more humble attitude."

In the local community, there is an atmosphere where the shock and controversy arising from the personnel verification process do not subside with nominee Kim's resignation alone.

Nominee Kim was born in Suwon in 1969, graduated from Pajang Elementary School, Suwon North Middle School, and Suwon Sung High School, served as a judge at Suwon District Court, and was elected to the National Assembly in 2020 from Jangan-gu, where he grew up. After his second election, he served as Chairman of the Democratic Party's Gyeonggi Province Committee and as a secretary of the National Assembly's Judiciary Committee, expanding his position in central politics based in Suwon.

Therefore, when he was nominated as Justice Minister on the 30th of last month, expectations from the local community were high. It would have been the first instance of a sitting local district lawmaker born and educated in elementary, middle, and high school in Suwon to become a cabinet member, and the first appointment of a sitting Suwon lawmaker to office in over 20 years since former National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo became Vice Minister of Education in 2005.

However, the atmosphere changed once personnel verification began.

From issues of civil petition delivery in the approval process of Genencell clinical trials to the selection process of service providers for persons with developmental disabilities in Suwon by the social cooperative his spouse was involved with, suspicions linking nominee Kim and Suwon continued to emerge. In particular, some matters expanded the scope of verification to include Suwon municipal administration and local welfare services, causing considerable shock to the local community.

The region had expectations that nominee Kim's appointment would lead to national support for local priority projects, given the urgent need for cooperation with the central government on pending issues such as the relocation of Suwon Military Airport, the promotion of an economic free zone, and the construction of a metropolitan transportation network. However, with his withdrawal from candidacy 20 days after nomination, such expectations ultimately failed to materialize.

Nominee Kim maintains his status as a sitting member of the National Assembly.

He stated on the day, "I will surely complete the unfinished prosecution reform," and pledged, "I will work for the people with a lower and more humble attitude and will do my best for the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration as a member of the people-sovereign government." After the press conference, without answering questions about prior coordination with the presidential office, he stated, "What pained me most was becoming a burden to the President."