(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporters Park Jae-hyun, Lee Bal-eum, and Choi Won-jeong = Justice Minister candidate Kim Seung-won said on the 7th about the suspicion of solicitation related to the approval of clinical trials for COVID-19 treatments, "I take it seriously that we should have been more careful in the process of delivering civil complaints."
However, he reiterated that he had never made an illegal request to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and asked independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, who raised the suspicion, to attend the personnel hearing and prove his claims related to the suspicion.
Candidate Kim went to work at the personnel hearing preparation office set up at the Jeokseon Hyundai Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul this morning and met with reporters to explain the suspicions, including the suspicion of solicitation, the controversy over his family's salary at a care center for the disabled, and his history of drunk driving.
Candidate Kim first explained in relation to the suspicion of lobbying by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, "At that time, in the COVID-19 situation, it was a time when not only the ruling and opposition parties but also the government were developing COVID-related treatments or vaccination drugs on a fast track."
He said that after reviewing the data at the time and inquiring through various channels, he received an answer that the substance could be helpful in treating COVID-19. He also said that he had heard information that multinational companies were interfering with the development of treatments by domestic pharmaceutical companies.
He went on to explain, “I called the Minister of Food and Drug Safety to ask him to process the delayed procedure fairly and quickly so that there would be no interference,” adding, “I only made one phone call and text messages about the contents were exchanged on the same day.”
Candidate Kim emphasized, "I have never made an illegal request to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and it is not as if the Ministry's review was not conducted fairly as a result. This fact is also clearly stated in the prosecution's decision not to indict."
He also added, "As a result of the investigation, the prosecution acknowledged that there was no illegal solicitation or distortion of fair review, and the Minister of Food and Drug Safety and all public officials involved were cleared of charges."
Regarding his relationship with Ms. Yang, the woman who appears in the suspicion of solicitation, he said, "It is true that we have been a close junior."
He explained that he first became acquainted with Mr. Yang as a customer at a restaurant and cafe frequented by legal professionals, and after no further interaction, he was assigned to defend Mr. Yang's case of violation of the Labor Standards Act.
Regarding the previous explanation that he had accidentally encountered Mr. Yang, he claimed that the data was released without close communication with the preparation team while the family was in critical condition.
When asked about a case in which a judge known to be close to him dismissed an arrest warrant for the founder of a related company, he replied, "I don't know exactly internally, but I think it was done appropriately in accordance with the law and procedures," and "I will look into it in detail later and explain it to the public."
Candidate Kim Seung-won responded to Rep. Han Dong-hoon's suspicion that the indictment was suspended due to external pressure from the political world in the past, saying, "At the time, it was the Yoon Seok-yeol regime, Minister Park Sung-jae, and Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung."
He said, "Representative Han Dong-hoon will have to appear as a witness at the hearing this time and take responsibility for what he said," and added, "Please be sure to attend the hearing and prove that there was external pressure. We will also request prosecutors who took related actions as witnesses."
Candidate Kim went on the offensive regarding the content and method of Rep. Han's suspicions, calling them "a typical example of prosecution cabinet politics."
He said, "I filed a constitutional petition against the suspension of indictment in May of last year, and the results should be viewed calmly, but Han Dong-hoon is waging a political offensive by leaking details of the investigation to the media little by little." He asked, "Where did you obtain the investigation materials? Did you obtain them legally?"
Candidate Kim received a suspended indictment in December 2024 on charges of receiving a request from Yang in 2021 and requesting then-Minister of Food and Drug Safety Kim Kang-lip to expedite the approval of a specific company's clinical trial plan for a COVID-19 treatment, and promising to receive 5 million won in donations in return.
At the time, the prosecution judged that it was difficult to conclude that the request for expedited processing itself was illegal. On the other hand, although the charge of promising to receive donations in exchange for mediation was acknowledged, the indictment was suspended considering the fact that no actual money was received.
Candidate Seung-won Kim also claimed that some media outlets were distorting reports as if he was involved in stock price manipulation.
He said, "This is the first time I learned that the suspect company, Genencell, is an unlisted company. They say that stock price manipulation investigations into these companies have been conducted since 2023 when Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon was in office, but I have never been summoned for three years."
He then said, “I haven’t even heard that an investigation was conducted against me,” and asked, “If I had been involved in stock price manipulation, would they have left me alone for three years?”
Regarding the controversy over the payment of wages at a care center for the developmentally disabled where spouses and children work, he refuted the claim, saying that he performed actual care work.
Previously, People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo raised suspicions of preferential treatment, saying that candidate Kim Seung-won's spouse and children received 330 million won worth of salary over four years from the organization.
After Candidate Kim was elected to the National Assembly, the organization moved from Yongin to Suwon, a constituency, and later was designated as an organization providing services for people with developmental disabilities.
Candidate Kim explained that the center was created in the form of a social cooperative by parents of people with developmental disabilities, and that his spouse, who majored in special education, has been working to take care of the children.
The son said that after majoring in occupational therapy, he came to work at the center to help his mother, and that his monthly salary was around 2.7 to 2.8 million won. It was revealed that the spouse's monthly salary was about 4 million won and that he also drove the children's transport to and from school.
Candidate Kim said, “The People Power Party is misleading us into thinking that our in-laws are running the center like a family business, but it is not easy to recruit school teachers and caregivers for developmental disabilities. This is a place where truly dedicated people come and work, and I hope they do not distort or criticize such a place.”
He then said, "I respect my wife and am proud of my son," and said to Rep. Joo, who raised the suspicion, "If I were to receive a salary of 2.7 million won and tell him to come there and take care of the children and teach them, I think he would probably run away in less than a week."
When asked whether they exercised political influence before relocating the center, they responded that they looked for another location after the lease period for the existing facility ended and that they moved in after repairing a flooded vacant room at Dongnam Health University, where the Occupational Therapy Department is located.
Regarding his failure to inform the party of his drunk driving history during the general election, candidate Kim Seung-won said, "As far as I know, if it is less than 1 million won, it is not included in the criminal record at all. I hope you will take that into consideration."
Candidate Kim was sentenced to a fine of 700,000 won for drunk driving in July 2008, when he was working as a lawyer after retiring as a judge.
Regarding the report that he had not been seen outside recently, he explained that last week, a close family member was in critical condition, so he took necessary measures from the emergency room to the intensive care unit, and that he went to the office in the afternoon and reported work normally.
Candidate Kim said, "I will ensure that investigative agencies and public prosecution agencies maintain political neutrality, exercise their authority only for the people, and take responsibility for the results."
Meanwhile, in response to the opposition party's claim that the vehicle owned by candidate Kim was impounded for failing to pay parking fines, the personnel hearing preparation team explained in a notice on the same day that it was not true.
The preparation team said, "The related fines had already been paid in the past, but they were not reflected in the study as the administrative agency manually managed the fine ledgers," and added, "It was recently confirmed that the seizure was lifted by the relevant agency."
