Political tensions are escalating over allegations that Kim Seung-won, the nominee for Minister of Justice, sought approval for a COVID-19 drug clinical trial. Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon released additional recordings of a phone call between Kim and a broker identified as Yang, prompting the ruling People Power Party to demand Kim's withdrawal from consideration. The Democratic Party countered that the ruling party's actions represent a politically motivated attack before the confirmation hearing.
On September 5, Han posted on Facebook the recording of a call between Kim and Yang from February 9, 2022, asserting that Kim's previous explanation was a "blatant lie." In the recording, Kim refers to Yang as "brother" and expresses a desire to meet, suggesting a meeting in Yeouido, Seoul. When Kim says, "It’s a shame if we can only see each other for 20 to 30 minutes," Yang responds, "I’m bringing a lot of stuff with me."
Han connected this call to a photo of Kim, Yang, and Judge Jeong, claiming that Kim's assertion of a chance meeting is false and demanding clarification on what Yang meant by "stuff." However, the recordings do not confirm the nature of the items or whether they were actually exchanged.
Han also disclosed a phone call from October 2021 in which Yang mentioned that Kim had spoken to the head of the Food and Drug Safety Agency regarding the new drug's approval and could also make requests to the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The conversation included references to Kim's political donation limits and Yang's business interests, which Han argued indicated that Kim facilitated the drug trial approval in exchange for benefits to Yang.
The People Power Party joined the attack, with floor spokesperson Choi Soo-jin commenting on the allegations of collusion with judges, drunk driving history, and suspicions of slush funds involving the Democratic Party's Gyeonggi Province chapter, calling for President Lee Jae-myung to withdraw Kim's nomination. Choi pointed out that the judge who dismissed the arrest warrant related to the drug case had attended a drinking event with Kim and Yang, raising further collusion concerns. Lawmaker Na Kyung-won highlighted the undue profits for Yang and officials from the drug development company, asserting that the connection to stock manipulation allegations involving Kim must be clarified, although no confirmation of Kim's involvement in stock manipulation has been established by investigative agencies.
The Democratic Party rebutted these claims, arguing that the opposition is inflating suspicions based on selective excerpts from the recordings.
Democratic Party floor spokesperson Kim Seong-hwa stated in a written briefing that "reaching conclusions before the hearing begins is not verification but a political offensive," criticizing the opposition for releasing only favorable excerpts while concealing unfavorable context. He emphasized that the prosecution, during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, conducted searches and summoned witnesses but did not indict Kim, asserting that there is no evidence of bribery and that the confirmation hearing should allow for Kim's explanations to be verified based on facts and materials.
Kim is under investigation for allegedly relaying a request from Yang in October 2021 to expedite the review of Genensel's COVID-19 treatment clinical trial approval to then-Commissioner Kim Kang-rip of the Food and Drug Safety Agency. The prosecution decided to suspend prosecution against Kim in December 2024.
Kim's team maintains that the request was a standard public interest inquiry from a lawmaker and that there was no favoritism or receipt of bribes. It is also reported that the 5 million won donation was never actually delivered.
Regarding the collusion allegations with Judge Jeong, Kim's team refuted any claims of contact or requests related to the case and stated that they did not participate in the warrant review process, arguing that the timing of the photo and the warrant review has been misrepresented.
As both parties clash over the implications of the recordings and the prosecution's decisions, the relationship between Kim and Yang, the nature of the request, and the alleged collusion with the judge are expected to be central issues in the confirmation hearing.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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