Kim Young-ho Responds to Opposition's Attack: "I Do Not Agree with Being Called a Far-Right YouTuber"

Noh "Far-right YouTuber... Why Refuse to Submit Materials?"
Kim Young-ho "Disagree... Fulfilled Legal Obligations"

Nominee for Minister of Unification Kim Young-ho rebutted the opposition party's attack labeling him as an "extreme right-wing YouTuber" during the parliamentary confirmation hearing, stating, "I do not agree."

On the afternoon of the 21st, Kim responded this way to related criticism from Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Sang-hee during the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee hearing at the National Assembly.

Kim Young-ho, nominee for Minister of Unification, responding [Photo by Yonhap News]

Lawmaker Kim said, "Looking at the activities over the past five years, I think the nominee's identity as an extreme right-wing YouTuber was stronger than that of a professor or scholar," adding, "From July 2018 until recently, he uploaded more than 5,487 videos on his YouTube channel." She continued, "In numerous videos, he made highly problematic remarks such as advocating absorption unification, calling for the collapse of the North Korean regime, South Korea's withdrawal from the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty), and independent nuclear armament."

In response to such criticism, nominee Kim said, "I have published the content I spoke about on YouTube in a book, so what would I have to hide?" Kim had closed his YouTube channel on the day he was nominated as minister on the 29th of last month. He added, "If the YouTube channel continued broadcasting after being nominated as a public office candidate, it could cause unnecessary controversy and misunderstandings. Considering that, I deleted it."

Lawmaker Kim Sang-hee repeatedly requested submission of documents related to approximately 280 million won in expenses incurred while operating the YouTube channel, but nominee Kim refused. Kim said, "Looking at the channel, it is usually a broadcast that does not cost money," and added, "The amount of expenses is simply incomprehensible." In response, nominee Kim retorted, "I paid taxes and reported to the tax office, so what more are you asking for?"

People Power Party lawmaker Ha Tae-kyung emphasized the need to clarify the definition of "extreme right-wing" during his questioning time. Ha asked for the definition of "extreme right-wing," and nominee Kim answered, "In political science, it is defined as 'resolving everything through violence and exclusion.'" Ha then pointed out, "If you emphasize North Korean human rights, you are labeled extreme right-wing; if you remain silent on North Korean human rights, you are progressive. The term 'extreme right-wing' is being misused."

Additionally, the Democratic Party continued its offensive based on nominee Kim's refusal to submit documents related to his family and others. The People Power Party defended by stating that all documents legally required to be submitted have been provided, and demanding more is unreasonable.

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