On the 7th, independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon disclosed the contents of a text message in which the broker Yang, a key figure in the case, and the representative of the pharmaceutical company mentioned other Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers regarding the suspicion of Justice Minister candidate Kim Seung-won soliciting approval for clinical trials of a new drug.
One lawmaker posted a related text message on Facebook that day, saying, “More ‘Democratic Party oppas’ are appearing. Oppa’s poison lobbying gate was the ‘Democratic Party oppas gate.’”
According to the published text messages, Mr. Kang, the CEO of the pharmaceutical company, first sent a message to Mr. Yang on October 8, 2021, saying, "The IND (Inclinical Trial Plan) must be approved before the 19th. Representative, let's meet up when you have some time. Even if it's not for a meal."
Mr. Yang responded, "Rep. Choi, please come to our Samsil (office) tomorrow at 1 o'clock. Right now, Seungwon-op (brother) says he has to quit because of the National Assembly inspection, so I'll pester Rep. Choi. Rep. Song Young-gil is a fox, so you have to give him money to move." Rep. Choi's name was not mentioned.
Then, Mr. Kang requested, "Then, if you meet Representative Choi, please ask him to approve it that week, as all of the supplementary request documents have been submitted to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Tuesday."
Mr. Yang said, "I explained it to Seungwon oppa in the morning. He was the only one who said that it would be an opportunity for me, saying that he expected 1 billion won, but it might not be possible, so he might invest about 800 million won. I checked with two people, but no one said anything, and the only one was Rep. Kim. However, he said it wasn't a fee, but that he would invest."
One lawmaker pointed out, "Since Democratic Party Lee Jae-myeong has decided to forcefully call my brother's poison lobbying a 'public interest' complaint, the public should judge by looking at the text messages whether it is a real 'public interest' complaint or a 'fraud mobilized by Democratic Party brothers.'" He added, "In addition to Seung-won oppa, there are more Democratic Party brothers. There are also stories of 'Congressman Choi,' 'Congressman Kim,' and 'Congressman Song Young-gil,' who criticized me by calling Mr. Yang's lobbying a 'good complaint.'"
He continued, "There is a conversation where it appears that 'Rep. Choi' was also involved in the approval of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. It is said that Mr. Yang, the broker, told Candidate Kim that if the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is approved, Mr. Yang will make a profit of 800 million to 1 billion won," and emphasized, "Disclosure of facts to prevent such a person from becoming the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Korea is a 'real public interest'."
One lawmaker also requested that he be appointed as a hearing committee member for Candidate Kim's personnel hearing.
At a meeting with reporters at the National Assembly on this day, Rep. Han responded to Candidate Kim's words, "Attend the hearing and reveal the facts," and said, "Since that's what the parties want, I ask the National Assembly Speaker Jo Jung-sik and other officials to appoint me as a hearing committee member. However, I don't think the hearing will be held. If it is held, I will prevent the creation of the Minister of Justice with an ex-convict for the first time since the Provisional Government."
He also responded to the Democratic Party's accusation against him for illegally handing over private investigation records, saying, "A member of the National Assembly is a position that must inform the public of the reports of righteous people and public interest informants and protect them at the cost of their lives. I will not be swayed by such modifications."
In addition, when asked, "Do you have any guesses about the background of the decision to suspend prosecution?" he explained, "The Western District Prosecutor's Office's plan that I disclosed states that Kim Seung-won is guilty and should be sentenced to eight months in prison. Nevertheless, someone defeated him." He added, "In the meantime, there was martial law and impeachment, a process in which the world changed to the Democratic Party. Looking at this, you can guess the situation."
Representative Han also disclosed a recording of a conversation between Yang and Democratic Party leader Choi Jae-seong, special adviser (former senior secretary for political affairs at the Blue House). At the same time, he continued his attack by asking, "The older brothers of the Democratic Party, including Rep. Kim Seung-won and former Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Choi Jae-seong, knew well that 'Broker Yang would receive a large amount of money once the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approves it.'" He continued his attack by asking, "Is 'the younger sister broker of a room salon receiving a large amount of money' a 'public interest' for you, the Democratic Party?"
According to the transcript, in a conversation with Special Advisor Choi on October 8, 2021, Mr. Yang said, "I was thinking of asking my brother (Special Advisor Choi) for a favor, but I called Seungwon oppa." He added, "'If investment is attracted, the professor said that our company will also issue CB (convertible bonds) and invest about 800 million to 1 billion won. So, please help me.' That's all I said."
Also, on November 12 of the same year, Mr. Yang explained to Special Advisor Choi, "The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety probably helped me because it made sense. (omitted) The professor said he would thank me and give me a reward of 100 million," adding, "What do I do by earning money as an individual? So I said, 'Please invest only 1 billion in that company,' and he said, 'The value will not come out until 1 billion, but 500 million will be issued through CB issuance.'"
