The complaint alleging unlawful solicitation involving Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won has been assigned to the Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station.
The Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station announced that it received the case against the nominee this morning and has begun reviewing the legal aspects.
Previously, former Seoul Metropolitan Councilman Lee Jong-bae and the civic group Citizens' Coalition for Livelihood Measures filed complaints with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against nominee Kim on the 4th, accusing him of abuse of power and violations of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, respectively.
Nominee Kim is suspected of having requested Kim Gang-lip, then-Minister of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), to approve clinical trials for a COVID-19 treatment developed by Genencell, through a broker surnamed Yang in 2021, at the request of Kang, the head of Genencell.
The complainants argue that Kim's request to former Minister Kim at the time to "take good care of" Genencell's clinical trial approval constitutes an abuse of power.
The complainants also argue that a reinvestigation is necessary regarding the allegation that nominee Kim promised to receive donations in exchange for making the clinical trial solicitation to the MFDS.
The police are expected to conduct questioning of the complainants as soon as the legal review is concluded.
Regarding the allegations, nominee Kim stated, "I called the Minister of Food and Drug Safety to ask that the procedures be handled fairly without interference and swiftly where delays occurred," adding, "I have never made an illegal solicitation to the MFDS, nor was the MFDS review conducted unfairly as a result."
He further explained, "The prosecution acknowledged through its investigation results that there was no illegal solicitation or distortion of fair review, and the related MFDS minister and officials all received non-prosecution dispositions."
Reported by Park Se-won | Video by Lee Yu-jin | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
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