[Anchor]
Kim Seung-won, the nominee for Minister of Justice who has actively worked for the dismissal of the indictment in the case involving President Lee Jae-myung, stated that the Minister of Justice has no direct authority to dismiss an indictment and that he has no intention of issuing such a directive through the Prosecutor General. He also denied all the allegations surrounding him.
Reporter Kim Deok-hyeon has the details.
[Reporter]
Rep. Kim Seung-won of the Democratic Party, who arrived at his confirmation hearing preparation office for the first time four days after being nominated as Minister of Justice, stood before reporters.
With just one month left before the implementation of the new criminal justice system, Nominee Kim first shared his aspirations.
[Kim Seung-won / Nominee for Minister of Justice: A new criminal justice system is being implemented for the first time in 70 years, and I have a great sense of mission to ensure its smooth settlement. I will strive to ensure that judicial justice and fairness are realized.]
Previously, Nominee Kim served as a co-representative of a group advocating for the dismissal of the indictment in President Lee Jae-myung's case.
[Kim Seung-won / Nominee for Minister of Justice (Feb. 12): (The prosecution) should dismiss the indictment on its own, and that is only natural in a civilized nation, but aren't they failing to do so now?]
When asked if his stance remains unchanged, he replied that the minister lacks the authority and that the decision must be made by the trial prosecutor holding that authority.
[Kim Seung-won / Nominee for Minister of Justice: As Minister of Justice, I not only lack the direct authority to dismiss an indictment, but I also have no intention of directing it through the Prosecutor General.]
He expressed his position that the disposition of suspension of indictment he received after asking the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to swiftly process clinical trials for a COVID-19 treatment was unfair.
[Kim Seung-won / Nominee for Minister of Justice: They conducted a thorough, exhaustive investigation, but because they issued a suspension of indictment, I thought that was unfair as well, so last year I filed a constitutional complaint against the suspension of indictment....]
Nominee Kim's side emphasized, "It was not lobbying for treatment approval, but simply delivering a public interest grievance petition," adding that no manual violations were found during the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's review process.
Regarding his past record of representing sex crime offenders, he stated that there were cases where he had no substantive involvement, as well as cases he took on in accordance with his usual beliefs, while also expressing an apology.
[Kim Seung-won / Nominee for Minister of Justice: Regarding aspects that do not align with the public's expectations, I humbly reflect and....]
Despite these explanations, controversies surrounding various suspicions involving Nominee Kim show no signs of subsiding, pointing toward a turbulent confirmation hearing process ahead.
(Reported by Yang Hyun-chul | Video by Lee Seung-hee | Graphics by Kim Han-gil)
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