Kang Min-kook: top court nominee Kim Seong-su violated traffic laws 5 times in 5 years

Kim Seong-su, a nominee for the Supreme Court, violated traffic laws five times over the past five years, records show.

Rep. Kang Min-kook of the People Power Party said Thursday that a review of Kim's five-year Road Traffic Act violation record, obtained by his office from the Korean National Police Agency, confirmed a total of four violations.

The violations were speeding on the Gwacheon-Bongdam Expressway on Aug. 1, 2022, which carried a 40,000 won ($30) fine; crossing the center line in a no-passing zone in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, on July 27, 2024, fined 90,000 won; and two separate violations on Oct. 3, 2025 -- a school zone signal violation near Daedo Elementary School in Dogok-dong, fined 70,000 won, and speeding in a senior protection zone near a civic university in Gwanak-gu, fined 56,000 won.

Separately, a review of Kim's traffic violation record submitted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government showed an illegal parking violation in April 2021, which carried a 40,000 won fine.

Kang said, "For a Supreme Court justice nominee -- someone who would take part in final rulings and make the judiciary's ultimate decisions on legal interpretation and socially contentious cases -- to have committed five traffic offenses over roughly five years, including violations in school zones, senior protection zones and crossing the center line, is deplorable and disqualifying for a Supreme Court nominee."