Kim Seung-won's Different Commute After Rebuttal via Notice... Suspicions Grow

[Anchor]

Suspicion is mounting regarding the lobbying allegations surrounding Minister of Justice nominee Kim Seung-won, but the nominee offered no specific explanation, stating he will address the matter at the confirmation hearing. Meanwhile, the police have assigned a complaint filed over the lobbying allegations to a frontline police station and are reviewing whether to reinvestigate.

Our first report comes from reporter Shin Yong-il.

[Reporter]

Minister of Justice nominee Kim Seung-won arrived at the confirmation hearing preparation office in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Unlike yesterday (the 7th), when he systematically refuted reporters' questions point by point, Nominee Kim gave only a brief response stating he would explain at the hearing before heading into the office.

[Kim Seung-won / Minister of Justice Nominee: I will explain everything in detail at the confirmation hearing. (To check the reason for the review delay...) I will speak clearly at the hearing.]

As the suspicions spread, the complaint filed recently by civic groups and others regarding Nominee Kim's alleged lobbying was assigned to the Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul.

As prosecutors issued a stay of indictment in 2024, the police are expected to decide whether to reopen the investigation once they review the contents of the complaint and legal principles.

The confirmation hearing preparation team continued its rebuttal today through an official notice.

Regarding the fact that the new drug lobbied to the Minister of Food and Drug Safety was a shingles treatment rather than a COVID-19 treatment, the team explained, "The materials provided to Nominee Kim made no mention of a shingles treatment at all, so he was unaware of this."

Reiterating its stance, the team stated, "He was under the impression that the necessary procedures were underway for the approval of a COVID-19 treatment," adding that neither illegal lobbying nor promises of quid pro quo were established through the prosecution's investigation or court rulings.

Furthermore, as suspicions grew with the public release of phone call transcripts involving a broker known as Yang and Genencell founder Kang, Nominee Kim's side released two transcripts spanning four A4 pages of conversations between Kim and Yang, and between Yang and Kang, respectively, stating they wanted to correct exaggerated claims.

(Video by: Bae Moon-san | Video editing by: Choi Jin-hwa | Design by: Jang Seong-beom)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.