The Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station is investigating allegations against Kim Seung-won, the nominee for Minister of Justice, who is accused of making improper requests during the approval process for a COVID-19 new drug clinical trial.
On the morning of September 8, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced that it had assigned the case against Kim to the Yeongdeungpo Police Station.
The Yeongdeungpo Police are expected to conduct a legal review based on the complaint and summon the complainants for questioning.
On September 4, former Seoul City Council member Lee Jong-bae and the civic group Citizens' Livelihood Countermeasures Committee submitted a complaint to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, requesting an investigation into Kim for abuse of power and violations of the anti-corruption law.
Analysts suggest that the assignment of the investigation team indicates a consideration for reopening the case. On September 7, Seoul Metropolitan Police Chief Ko Beom-seok stated at a press conference that the police are reviewing whether they can reopen the investigation into the allegations, which the prosecution had previously decided not to pursue in December 2024.
Kim is accused of requesting approval for a clinical trial of the new drug from the bio company Genensel to then-Commissioner Kim Kang-rip of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety at the request of a broker he was close with in 2021. The complainants argue that Kim's request to ensure the clinical approval was handled properly constitutes abuse of power.
In response to the allegations, Kim stated the previous day, "I have never made any improper requests to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, nor has the review process been conducted unfairly. The prosecution also acknowledged that there were no improper requests or distortions in the review process."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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