DJ's son Kim Hong-gul: "Park Ji-won, not sure if suitable for NIS chief... concerns about expertise remain"

"Politically Skilled but... North Korea's Situation Different from the Past"

Kim Hong-gul, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea / Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@asiae.co.kr

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Kim Hong-gul, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and son of the late former President Kim Dae-jung, expressed concerns about the expertise of Park Ji-won, the nominee for the Director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), stating, "There are some concerns about his expertise."

On the 28th, during an appearance on KBS Radio's 'Kim Kyung-rae's Strongest Current Affairs,' when asked by the host whether he considered Park a suitable candidate for the NIS Director, Kim replied, "Well..." and added, "Yes," when asked if his view was cautious.

Kim said, "Of course, everyone acknowledges that Park is politically skilled and capable," but pointed out, "Currently, those who dealt with Park on the North Korean side during the June 15th North-South Summit have either passed away or retired, and the Kim Jong-il regime back then is quite different from the Kim Jong-un regime now." This was interpreted as expressing doubts about Park's HUMINT (Human Intelligence) capabilities regarding North Korea.

Kim further stated, "For inter-Korean negotiations to be properly resumed, it is necessary to persuade the United States to create some cards to offer North Korea. Ultimately, the most important thing now is whether there is the ability to persuade the U.S. without arousing suspicion," adding, "I am not confident that there is anyone in the current intelligence, diplomacy, and security line who can achieve that."

Regarding the allegation raised by the United Future Party on the 27th during Park's confirmation hearing in the National Assembly?that Park signed documents agreeing to provide North Korea with a total of 3 billion USD (approximately 5.91 trillion KRW) in loans as a result of the North-South summit agreements?Kim said, "If that had happened, it would have come up during the special investigation on funds sent to North Korea, but such an amount was never sent to North Korea," and added, "I believe it is fabricated."

Park Ji-won, nominee for the Director of the National Intelligence Service, is responding at the Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 27th. / Photo by Yonhap News

On the suspicion of academic credential forgery against Park, Kim said, "There seems to be suspicious grounds for doubt," but also noted, "At that time, academic forgery or fraudulent admissions were common, and the management was lax. Since there is no solid evidence, there are limitations to making claims."

Meanwhile, during the confirmation hearing on the 27th, the United Future Party questioned Park about △secret funds sent to North Korea and △academic forgery allegations related to Dankook University.

In particular, Joo Ho-young, the floor leader of the United Future Party, revealed a so-called 'secret agreement' bearing Park's signature. According to this agreement, Park committed to providing North Korea with 500 million USD (approximately 985 billion KRW) in humanitarian aid during the April 2000 North-South summit under the Kim Dae-jung administration, and subsequently providing investment and economic cooperation loans amounting to 2.5 billion USD (approximately 4.925 trillion KRW) over three years, totaling 3 billion USD.

In response, Park stated, "Both the signature and the documents are forged," and if the secret agreement exists, he said, "I will take full responsibility, including withdrawing my candidacy."

Regarding the academic forgery allegations raised by United Future Party lawmaker Ha Tae-kyung, Park rebutted, saying, "It was a time before Ha was even born, and there is a big difference between the social concepts then and those of the 21st century," adding, "I attended classes diligently, and Dankook University recognized my credits and allowed me to graduate."

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