Moon Jin-seok, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, commented on the controversy regarding the alleged 'exploitation' of assistants by Kang Seon-woo, the nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, on the 22nd, saying, "There is a sense of camaraderie between assistants and lawmakers. There is a concept of being like family," adding, "There are assistants who perform personal tasks with a voluntary mindset."
On the same day, Moon noted in a CBS radio interview, "The nature of exploitation in the workplace differs slightly from the relationship between assistants and lawmakers," and stated, "If the relationship between them is not harmonious, it can change to exploitation."
He continued, "It is very ambiguous to distinguish whether legislative activities are personal matters for lawmakers or public matters." Kang faced criticism for directing assistants to handle personal tasks such as repairing toilets or taking out the trash during the personnel hearing process.
When the host asked, "Shouldn't lawmakers more clearly distinguish between public and private matters than ordinary workplaces?" Moon responded, "Because things are too personal, there may be times when lawmakers occasionally ask for personal errands without hesitation."
He also mentioned, "Among the current assistants, there are those who carry out such tasks diligently without complaints, and there are also assistants who have grievances," adding, "We are planning to propose how the relationship between assistants and lawmakers should be handled in the future."
When the host pointed out Moon's comment about the existence of assistants who have no complaints while doing personal tasks, Moon added, "There are assistants who perform their duties with a voluntary mindset. Some assistants think positively of their lawmaker or do not see it as a job but rather as a comradely relationship."
The Democratic Party of Korea is prioritizing the agreement on the personnel hearing report of the nominee Kang, and if opposition from the People Power Party continues, they may proceed with a forced adoption. Baek Seung-ah, the Democratic Party's floor spokesperson, met with reporters after the party's emergency meeting on the day and suggested, "Shouldn't we propose to adopt the personnel hearing report together, even if there are disqualifications?"