Seoul: Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won on Monday denied illegally lobbying for a COVID-19 treatment in 2021, while acknowledging he should have been more careful in his request over the medication at the time.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim has faced accusations of unlawful solicitation for allegedly asking the then food and drug safety minister to speed up the treatment's clinical trial approval at a broker's request. Kim addressed reporters, stating, "I take seriously the fact that I should have been more careful in conveying the request," while firmly denying any illegal solicitation of the food and drug ministry. He emphasized that the review process was not compromised as a result of his actions.
Kim highlighted that the prosecution decided to defer his indictment following their examination of the case. Prosecutors had previously dropped the case, concluding that Kim's actions could not be definitively classified as illegal solicitation. Kim's team characterized his actions as merely relaying a public interest concern to avoid delays in the treatment's trial, asserting that he did not receive any political donations or valuables in exchange.
The nominee is under increasing scrutiny over these allegations, especially after independent Representative Han Dong-hoon released purported recordings involving Kim and a broker discussing lobbying efforts for the treatment. Kim has accused Han of leaking investigative materials as part of a politically motivated offensive, questioning Han's access to such materials and urging him to attend the confirmation hearing.