Minju: "Kim Dae-gi, '2.8 Billion Won Asset Omission'... Must Apologize and Disclose Disposition"

Democratic Party Steering Committee Members Urge Kim Dae-gi to Apologize
"Refusal of Absurd Testimony, Will Take Legal Action"
Hong Ik-pyo "Reveal Details Fully and Impose Appropriate Punishment"

Members of the Democratic Party belonging to the National Assembly Steering Committee have announced legal action regarding the controversy over Kim Dae-gi, Chief of Staff to the President, allegedly omitting assets.

Democratic Party Steering Committee members held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office on the morning of the 8th, stating, "Chief Kim Dae-gi reported omitting a large amount of assets worth 2.8 billion KRW, but when questioned, he refused to testify with absurd reasons citing the Public Officials Ethics Act and personal information protection." They added, "While the Democratic Party strongly protested and was leaving, Chairman Yoon Jae-ok (People Power Party) absurdly declared the end of the audit."

Kim Dae-gi, Chief of Staff to the President, is responding to questions from lawmakers at the Steering Committee's National Assembly audit held on the 7th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

They continued, "The Minister of Personnel Innovation revealed at the Budget and Accounts Committee that there was a disciplinary action regarding Chief Kim’s omission of asset declaration, but did not disclose the details," and pointed out, "It is highly likely that the punishment was a slap on the wrist compared to the seriousness of the wrongdoing, so it must be clearly revealed what measures were taken."

They further stated, "The Chief of Staff assisting the President omitted tens of billions in assets and claimed it was a simple mistake without receiving any disciplinary action, so we cannot help but question what Yoon Seok-yeol’s version of fairness and common sense really is," and urged, "Once again, we demand materials on the details and circumstances of Chief Kim’s asset omission and the actions taken."

Park Ju-min, the opposition party’s secretary of the Steering Committee, told reporters immediately after the press conference, "The complaint regarding refusal to testify must be submitted as an agenda item and voted on by the chairman, but Chairman Yoon Jae-ok will not do so," adding, "We are considering additional separate measures." Park emphasized, "Public officials are required to disclose all their assets, so not disclosing them is unacceptable," and said, "Although Kim Dae-gi admitted the omission and expressed regret, he did not disclose the disciplinary action."

Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 8th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Earlier, Chief Kim disclosed through the '2023 Regular Asset Changes of High-ranking Public Officials' published in the official gazette at the end of March this year that as of December 31 of last year, his assets had increased by about 2.5 billion KRW to 7.34 billion KRW compared to the declaration in May of the same year. While deposits decreased from 2.3 billion KRW to 1.7 billion KRW, newly added were bank-issued promissory notes worth approximately 2.87 billion KRW.

Regarding this, Hong Ik-pyo, floor leader of the Democratic Party, said at the Supreme Council meeting that day, "Chief Kim Dae-gi omitted a large asset (bank-issued promissory notes) worth 2.8 billion KRW in his declaration, and refused to testify citing the Public Officials Ethics Act and personal information protection." He pointed out, "According to the Public Officials Ethics Committee’s asset registration review and disciplinary standards, if omitted assets exceed 50 million KRW, it is considered a false material omission, and if it exceeds 300 million KRW, disciplinary action including dismissal is required." He reiterated, "If the punishment is a slap on the wrist, the Ministry of Personnel Innovation has neglected its fundamental duties."

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