Kim Seung-won, Nominee for Minister of Justice, Suddenly Resigns: "Failed to Meet Public Expectations"

Kim Seung-won, nominee for Minister of Justice, held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Hall at 11:00 AM today (19th) and announced that he would voluntarily step down from his nomination.

This comes 20 days after he was nominated for Minister of Justice on August 30.

Kim explained the background of his resignation, stating, "I made up my mind after watching the president's press conference yesterday," and adding, "I heavily accept that I fell short of public expectations."

Previously, allegations had been raised against nominee Kim, including suspicions of lobbying for the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's clinical trial approval of a COVID-19 treatment and preferential treatment for a social cooperative run by his spouse.

Earlier, President Lee Jae-myung stated during a press conference yesterday regarding Kim's appointment, "No conclusion has been reached," and added, "We will make a cautious decision while considering public expectations."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.