Nominee for Minister of Unification Kim Young-ho's Drunk Driving Record from 19 Years Ago... Also Has History of Violating the National Security Law

Candidate Kim "Apologizes Regardless of the Reason"
Criminal Record Includes Imprisonment under the National Security Act

Kim Young-ho, the nominee for Minister of Unification, was confirmed to have committed drunk driving 19 years ago.

According to the confirmation hearing request submitted to the National Assembly on the 6th, Kim was caught for drunk driving by the Gwacheon Police Station in Gyeonggi Province in July 2004, and was fined 1 million won by the Suwon District Court, with the sentence finalized the following year.

Regarding the drunk driving incident, Kim apologized, saying, "It was my fault, and as a nominee, I sincerely regret it regardless of the reasons."

In addition, it was confirmed that Kim was indicted in 1988 for violating the National Security Act and was sentenced to three years in prison with a five-year probation by the Seoul Central District Court. He received the prison sentence for publishing subversive books during the 1987 democratic uprising as a left-wing intellectual (violation of the National Security Act). Furthermore, until the late 1980s, he served as the representative of the social science specialized publishing company ‘Doseochulpan Nokdu,’ which published Soviet communist philosophy books and others.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Afterwards, he shifted to the New Right and served as the Blue House Unification Secretary and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Human Rights Ambassador during the Lee Myung-bak administration. Under the current government, he served as the chairman of the Unification Future Planning Committee of the Ministry of Unification.

According to the confirmation hearing request, Kim reported assets worth 1.42 billion won, including one apartment in Eunma Apartments, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Including the assets of his spouse and children, the total assets amount to approximately 2.45 billion won.

President Yoon Suk-yeol stated in the request for confirmation hearing, "The nominee has actively provided advice on the establishment and promotion of unification policies through his extensive and in-depth research activities, serving as a member of the Ministry of Unification’s South-North Relations Development Committee, a member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Policy Advisory Council, and a standing member of the National Unification Advisory Council." He added, "The nominee possesses the academic knowledge as an expert on unification issues and international relations, as well as a profound understanding and insight into the current government’s unification policies, equipping him with the capability to responsibly advance the government’s unification policies and inter-Korean relations."

The National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee will hold the confirmation hearing on the 21st.

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