Health and Welfare Committee Chair Lee Man-hee: "MFDS Solicitation Allegations to Be Addressed in Parliamentary Audit... Kim Seung-won Anticipated Results, Not Public Interest"

[Joo Young-jin's News Briefing]

When quoting or citing this interview, please accurately credit the program name SBS <Joo Young-jin's News Briefing>. Copyright belongs to SBS.

■ Broadcast: SBS <Joo Young-jin's News Briefing> Mon–Fri (14:00–15:20)

■ Host: Anchor Joo Young-jin

■ Guest: Lee Man-hee, People Power Party Lawmaker

--------------------------------------------

● Interview with People Power Party Lawmaker Lee Man-hee

"MFDS solicitation allegations not yet discussed at Health and Welfare Committee level"

"Kim Seung-won anticipated what would happen before making request... How is this in the public interest?"

"Solicitation allegations to be addressed in parliamentary audit... Thorough investigation needed"

"Health and Welfare Committee to focus on regional essential public healthcare and integrated care system in second half"

"Government's basic pension reform, structural 'higher benefits for lower-income, lower benefits for higher-income' plan has fallen through"

--------------------------------------------

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor: We are joined by People Power Party Lawmaker Lee Man-hee, Chairman of the Health and Welfare Committee. Welcome.

▶ Lee Man-hee / People Power Party Lawmaker: Hello.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor: It hasn't been very long since you became Chairman of the Health and Welfare Committee, has it?

▶ Lee Man-hee / People Power Party Lawmaker: About a month and ten days have passed.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor: About a month and ten days. The Health and Welfare Committee is really a very important standing committee, isn't it? It deals so closely with people's lives, health, and welfare.

▶ Lee Man-hee / People Power Party Lawmaker: Looking at it, our Health and Welfare Committee is involved in all areas of life, from the moment a child is born to the moment our seniors depart from this world. That is why there is so much work, many debates on issues that require decisions, and many related organizations involved.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor: Indeed. But in the preview clip that aired just before you came on, Lawmaker Lee, there was quite a lot of footage of Kim Seung-won, the nominee for Minister of Justice. This is likely due to the suspicion that he 'filed a civil petition with the MFDS.' Has this issue been discussed at the Health and Welfare Committee level, or even among the People Power Party committee members, and have you verified the facts with the MFDS? How stands the situation?

▶ Lee Man-hee / People Power Party Lawmaker: There are matters that have been looked into individually, and while there has been much talk from various angles, we have not gathered as a whole to discuss it. Not up until now.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor: Then how do you, as Health and Welfare Committee Chair, view this? Nominee Kim claims this was a "public-interest civil petition," whereas Lawmaker Han Dong-hoon and the People Power Party assert, "This is clearly an illicit solicitation for personal gain. It is illegal." What is your assessment and judgment, Lawmaker Lee?

▶ Lee Man-hee / People Power Party Lawmaker: Judging from what has come to light so far, such as various transcripts and related materials, Nominee Kim was already fully aware of what consequences it would bring even before making the solicitation. For instance, when clinical trial approval is granted, talk had already emerged that the company—is it Genencell?—would reap hundreds of billions of won in profit. There is also the broker surnamed Yang. According to Mr. Kim Seung-won's own words, they had such a close relationship that he said 'tears well up because I miss you so much.' It is said he also ran an entertainment establishment. Nominee Kim knew precisely what kind of benefits would go to that person as well. Even looking at their conversations, transcripts show remarks where, although Kim himself receives only around 5 million won in donations, he tells Yang, the broker, 'You need to succeed; aren't I doing this because of you?' How can anyone say this was done for the public interest? Even taking the COVID-19 situation into account, that is not how I see it.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor: Do you view this matter as serious enough to warrant stepping down as a ministerial nominee? What do you think?

▶ Lee Man-hee / People Power Party Lawmaker: I find it difficult to interpret this matter simply as lobbying for a request from a company with bad intentions. The scope of activities of the broker surnamed Yang seen here actually extends across the political sphere right now, and remarks from several lawmakers connected to the Democratic Party are also emerging. Furthermore, looking at how things progressed, it seems Kang Se-chan, the head of Genencell—Mr. Kang—did not even claim that receiving approval would lead to a successful clinical trial. Because while this solicitation was underway, he sold 660,000 shares of his Genencell stock to a company called Sejong Medical for 6.3 billion won.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor: You have examined this in great detail.

▶ Lee Man-hee / People Power Party Lawmaker: In addition, Sejong Medical issued 5 billion won in convertible bonds. In effect, 11.3 billion won went into Genencell. The reason it is certain that he took such profits knowing the trial would fail lies in this issue: this may not be widely known, but clinical trials are conducted on humans.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor: That is correct.

▶ Lee Man-hee / People Power Party Lawmaker: Before conducting clinical trials, animal testing is normally carried out. Generally speaking, those findings were not included in the initial clinical trial application data; they were results obtained from tests conducted later after the MFDS requested supplementary data. It was an extremely close call. What came to light was that they tested on five hamsters: one reportedly vomited blood and died, while the remaining three suffered swollen lungs. While seeking clinical trial approval under the guise of developing a treatment with such a drug, they concealed that very content from the required submission materials for testing. It is said this was uncovered during the investigation. Considering all this, I believe this person already knew that the clinical trial itself was bound to fail.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor: That is your assessment, Lawmaker Lee? Understood.

▶ Lee Man-hee / People Power Party Lawmaker: Clinical trials are conducted on human beings. Phase 1 involves healthy individuals, Phase 2 involves actual patients, and Phase 3 expands the scope. No matter how urgent the COVID-19 period was, in my view, this was simply unacceptable. That is why I believe it was wrong.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor: Another suspicion emerging is that this drug was originally being developed for a different condition, but was abruptly switched to a COVID-19 treatment.

▶ Lee Man-hee / People Power Party Lawmaker: Looking into it, the relevant divisions were the Herbal Medicine Preparation Division, the Clinical Trials Division—or was it the Policy Division?—and then the Statistical Analysis Team. Word had it that all three divisions were blocked. The reason for that is...

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor: It was blocked at the division director level.

▶ Lee Man-hee / People Power Party Lawmaker: Exactly. Why does the Herbal Medicine Preparation Division come up? Because this substance was originally tested as a treatment for shingles. But shingles is caused by a virus. Because it is a virus and shares characteristics with the coronavirus, they disguised it for Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials. At that time, colloquially speaking, merely obtaining clinical approval would cause stock prices to skyrocket, swinging wildly back and forth. As a consequence, as far as I know, Sejong Medical has entered the delisting process. It is said the victims alone number more than 30,000.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor: This seems likely to stir considerable controversy during the Health and Welfare Committee proceedings going forward.

▶ Lee Man-hee / People Power Party Lawmaker: Of course. It will be addressed in upcoming events such as the parliamentary audit. I believe a much more rigorous investigation should be conducted. A person who tried to obtain clinical trial approval through outright falsehoods and deception against the state must be investigated. And a suspension of indictment for those involved? That cannot be right. Furthermore, profits were realized. The broker surnamed Yang reportedly gained nearly 900 million to 1 billion won in financial profit, and Mr. Kang pocketed over 6.3 billion won in cash alone.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor: Understood. It seems inevitable that these new drug solicitation allegations will become a major point of contention in future Health and Welfare Committee discussions. Moving on to pending health and welfare issues: what is the biggest agenda item for the Health and Welfare Committee in the second half of the term, and is there any specific bill you, Chairman Lee, are determined to see passed?

▶ Lee Man-hee / People Power Party Lawmaker: While it is difficult for me to specify particular bills, the key priorities can largely be divided into two. One is our healthcare issue—what we commonly refer to as regional, essential, and public healthcare.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor: That is also a key campaign pledge of President Lee Jae-myung, isn't it?

▶ Lee Man-hee / People Power Party Lawmaker: Yes, it is. But if a pledge is implemented properly and benefits the people, whose pledge it was does not matter. One priority is ensuring that the process is properly executed and fulfilled. Second, starting in March 2026, an initiative actually went into effect: the 'integrated care system.' When it comes to the integrated care system, elderly care is no longer just the burden of a single household or individual.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor: Indeed.

▶ Lee Man-hee / People Power Party Lawmaker: It is an issue for the nation.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor: It has become an issue for a village, a local community, and the whole country.

▶ Lee Man-hee / People Power Party Lawmaker: Under the current approach, medical staff or care workers visit individual homes one by one, but will we really be able to manage all of that? How will we secure the massive financial resources required? These are the concerns. What I am particularly paying attention to, especially in this era of regional extinction, are areas facing depopulation, such as farming and fishing communities. As you know, I previously served on the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans, and Fisheries Committee. Facilities that are relatively well-established in every village are senior citizen centers.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor: That's right. Everyone gathers there as soon as the morning begins.

▶ Lee Man-hee / People Power Party Lawmaker: Senior citizen centers have become well-equipped with facilities through the process of electing local government heads. The living conditions and facilities are well set up there, so I personally wonder whether we could utilize them as focal hubs for the welfare delivery system. In the second half of the term, I intend to consult with the government and fellow lawmakers to properly carry out these two vital tasks.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor: Regional essential public healthcare is an immediate matter concerning all of us. Regarding the integrated care system, it seems critical that younger generations recognize that 'care' represents our own future. Rather than young people feeling aggrieved and thinking, 'Why do we work so hard just for welfare to focus solely on the elderly?', a shift in perception recognizing that it is our own future could help this system run more smoothly.

▶ Lee Man-hee / People Power Party Lawmaker: Absolutely. When I visit my constituency, which is somewhat rural, elderly residents often tell me they are fine and urge us to 'take better care of our children.' However, this cannot be done at the expense of the dreams of future generations. In my view, these two goals are entirely compatible.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor: Connected in some ways to elderly care is the basic pension.

▶ Lee Man-hee / People Power Party Lawmaker: Yes, the basic pension.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor: The basic pension paid by the government to seniors in the bottom 70% income bracket was originally supposed to follow the principle of 'higher benefits for lower-income, lower benefits for higher-income,' but media reports indicate the government has been unable to announce the reduced benefits for the higher tier.

▶ Lee Man-hee / People Power Party Lawmaker: They gave up on it. The way this discussion unfolded was during the Ministry of Health and Welfare's briefing. One must realize that the basic pension is funded by taxpayers' money. It lines up the senior population aged 65 and older according to their calculated income and assets, providing 349,000 won—roughly 350,000 won—each to seniors in the bottom 70%.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor: Yes, monthly.

▶ Lee Man-hee / People Power Party Lawmaker: That is the system. It was established under the Park Geun-hye administration. The original plan back then was conceived because our elderly poverty rate was significantly higher than the OECD average, and it was created as compensation for the sacrifices and dedication seniors made while transforming our society. But as baby boomers like us cross into senior age in earnest, the number of recipients is increasing exponentially.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor: Right, heading toward 2030.

▶ Lee Man-hee / People Power Party Lawmaker: So some adjustment was necessary. With that standard in mind, President Lee Jae-myung mentioned the principle of 'higher benefits for lower-income, lower benefits for higher-income' during the policy briefing. That makes sense, as our elderly poverty rate has narrowed considerably and living standards have risen. However, they originally sought to change the criteria itself—shifting from the 70% threshold to 50% of the median household income nationwide—but that plan has fallen through.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor: Please scrutinize this closely during this year's regular National Assembly session. Since this is an issue of great interest to the elderly, we will keep an eye on the basic pension issue and invite you back after the regular session to hear more.

▶ Lee Man-hee / People Power Party Lawmaker: Understood.

▷ Joo Young-jin / Anchor: Thank you for speaking with us today.

▶ Lee Man-hee / People Power Party Lawmaker: Thank you.

※ For more details, please check the video.

※