Joo Jinwoo: "Kim Seungwon's Son Absent Six Days a Month at Mother's Welfare Institution" vs Kim Seungwon's Side: "Not True"

There have been claims from opposition lawmakers that the son of Kim Seungwon, the nominee for Minister of Justice, was absent from work an average of six days per month while working at a welfare institution where his mother (Kim's spouse) previously served as director. In response, the Ministry of Justice refuted the allegations, stating, "This is not true."

Yonhap News Agency

According to materials, including work attendance records received from the Korea Child Development Social Cooperative by Joo Jinwoo, a member of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee from the People Power Party, Mr. Kim worked as a provider for the cooperative’s weekly activity service from May 2024 to August of this year, and was absent a total of 163 days for personal reasons. This amounts to an average of approximately 5.8 days per month.

In the first month of his employment, May 2024, Mr. Kim did not attend work for six days. In months when his absences were higher, he recorded up to nine absences. He also left work early for personal reasons on 34 occasions, and was late for personal reasons 17 times.

Regarding this, the Ministry of Justice’s personnel hearing preparation team countered, "Mr. Kim went to work every day," adding, "The materials cited as evidence of these suspicions are not attendance records for the son, but instead activity plans and activity logs for users of the weekly activity service for individuals with developmental disabilities."

In addition, the employment contract for Mr. Kim, presented by Assemblyman Joo, states that he was to work five days a week (Monday through Friday), from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., with a pre-tax monthly salary of 3.2 million won.

The institution stated that there were "no records" such as job postings or applications related to the hiring process for Kim's children, explaining, "As an institution caring for individuals with severe developmental disabilities, the reality is that there are no applicants when we hire for permanent or specialized provider positions." They added, "We first offer employment to those who have previously worked at our institution as daily employees."

Regarding the hiring of Park, Kim’s spouse, as director, the institution clarified, "It was not due to personal acquaintance or any special relationship. Instead, it resulted from her already working at a care institution that our children with developmental disabilities attended."

As for the employment of Kim's children, the institution explained, "The nominee’s spouse worked at the cooperative’s care institution, and as a result, their son, who was a university student at the time, and daughter, who was a high school student at the time, helped with care work and related duties at the institution on weekends."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.