Minister nominee Lee So-young of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups is expected to be accused over allegations that she paid about 70 million won in consulting fees for legislative activities to a consulting firm whose corporate registry address is listed at a vacant property.
Former Seoul city council member Lee Jong-bae said on the afternoon of the 13th that he will file a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency accusing the nominee of violating the Political Funds Act.
Since 2023, the nominee has paid a total of a little over 70 million won to a consulting firm—330,000 to 1.1 million won per month—under the label "consulting fees for legislative activities." But suspicions arose because the building at the firm's corporate registry address has been vacant for years.
The former city council member moved to file the complaint on the grounds that if the money paid to the firm was excessive compared with the actual scope and value of the services, or was used for purposes unrelated to political activities, it would constitute a violation of the Political Funds Act.
The former city council member argued, "A thorough investigation is needed into whether the services were actually provided properly, whether the fees were inflated beyond the actual amount, and whether political funds were paid to provide undue economic benefits to a particular firm."
The nominee countered that it was a "lawful and proper service contract." The nominee's confirmation hearing preparation team issued an explanatory note the same day, saying the nominee "entered into the contract after reviewing the experience and capabilities of the individual consultant who runs the firm, not the firm's location," and stated accordingly.
According to the preparation team, the consultant has handled ancillary tasks such as producing campaign and legislative promotional materials since 2020, when the nominee served as a first-term lawmaker. The preparation team said the nominee received public relations advice necessary for legislative activities—such as district policy environment analysis and research—from the firm from 2023 to 2025.
The preparation team also said, "The contract specified the scope of work in detail, and payment was made properly by partitioning the entirety of the work performed during the contract period into the agreed time units," and added, "Receipts were also issued in the usual manner."
The National Assembly confirmation hearing for the nominee is scheduled for the 15th.