From Nomination to Resignation: A Look Back at Kim Seung-won's 20 Days

[Kang Hoon-sik / Chief of Staff to the President: The nominee for Minister of Justice is lawmaker Kim Seung-won of the Democratic Party of Korea. Nominee Kim is a former judge and a two-term lawmaker serving as the committee secretary of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee. As he understands the intent behind reforming the criminal justice system more deeply than anyone else, we expect him to prioritize the protection of victims' rights and swiftly settle the new criminal justice system.]

Lawmaker Kim Seung-won was nominated as the Minister of Justice on August 30.

Immediately following his nomination, controversies arose surrounding the withdrawal of indictments in cases involving President Lee Jae-myung, as well as allegations of soliciting approval for clinical trials of a new COVID-19 treatment.

[Kim Seung-won / Justice Minister Nominee: As a lawmaker, I merely conveyed the public's stance that the state must correct fabricated indictments resulting from illegal investigations. As a nominee for Minister of Justice, according to law and principle, the trial prosecutor legally holds the authority to maintain prosecution in individual cases. I respect that authority, and I state that not only do I not have the direct authority as Minister of Justice to withdraw indictments, but I also have no intention whatsoever of issuing directives through the Prosecutor General.]

He also actively refuted allegations of soliciting approval for clinical trials of the new COVID-19 treatment.

[Kim Seung-won / Justice Minister Nominee: Starting in 2021, the prosecution mobilized about ten prosecutors over three years to conduct an extremely intensive, exhaustive investigation, but they ultimately decided not to indict. The first reason was that it could hardly be considered an improper solicitation. Second, during the clinical trial approval process, there were no improper acts such as preferential treatment, providing conveniences, or skipping procedures. Therefore, I should have been completely cleared of charges on that matter, but because they issued a suspension of indictment simply because I introduced a way to make donations, I felt that was also unjust. So last year, I filed a constitutional complaint against the suspension of indictment, and I understand the Constitutional Court is currently reviewing the case. I also want to resolve this grievance until the end.]

However, the controversy did not subside.

The opposition, including independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, consecutively released audio recordings related to the approval process for the clinical trials and put pressure on the government, claiming that appointing Nominee Kim would mark the beginning of the administration's downfall.

Then, at his confirmation hearing on September 15, when questioned about allegations of animal testing manipulation for the COVID-19 treatment being developed by Genencell, Nominee Kim responded as follows:

[Kim Seung-won / Justice Minister Nominee: I have a liberal arts background. There is no way for me to know about things like the efficacy of treatments.]

He also shed tears while explaining suspicions involving his family.

[Kim Seung-won / Justice Minister Nominee: When my wife later loses strength or passes away, someone to whom I can trust and entrust these children...]

On September 17, two days after the hearing, the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee adopted the confirmation hearing report for Nominee Kim, led by the Democratic Party of Korea.

With only President Lee Jae-myung's decision remaining, President Lee stated that he had not yet decided whether to appoint him.

[President Lee Jae-myung: I feel that personnel appointments become harder the more you make them. The criteria for appointments and the grounds for judgment are all different. While we believe we made the best possible selection, we also see various controversies arising during the public vetting process. I have not yet reached a final conclusion, and I will make a careful decision by taking into account the many issues and criticisms raised in that process, the capabilities you possess, and the public's expectations.]

Nominee Kim Seung-won said he made up his mind after watching this press conference.

And today (September 19), 20 days after being nominated, he held an emergency press conference at the National Assembly and announced that he was stepping down voluntarily from his nomination as Minister of Justice.

Written by An Hyemin | Video by Na Hong-hee | Graphics by Lee Jeong-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.