"Explain Everything in Detail at Hearing... Unrelated to Stock Manipulation"

[Anchor]

Nominee for Minister of Justice Kim Seung-won, who has been engulfed in various allegations including lobbying suspicions involving the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, has reiterated his stance that he will arrive at work early and explain everything in detail at the hearing. Today, on the 9th, Nominee Kim's camp issued explanations stating that he is unrelated to the stock manipulation case of a COVID-19 treatment company linked to MFDS solicitation.

This is reporter Shin Yong-il.

[Reporter]

Nominee for Minister of Justice Kim Seung-won arrived at the hearing preparation office in Jeokseon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, at around 7:50 AM today.

He arrived about 30 minutes earlier than yesterday.

Meeting reporters on his early commute, Nominee Kim preemptively answered before reporters could ask questions, saying, "I will thoroughly prepare for the hearing."

[Kim Seung-won / Nominee for Minister of Justice: Many questions are coming in right now. We are receiving them comprehensively, and the preparation team will carefully grasp the details and explain them step-by-step until the day of the confirmation hearing.]

Yesterday, Nominee Kim's camp preemptively released a transcript regarding a broker named Yang, who was pointed out as a broker in the MFDS lobbying suspicions, to explain the suspicions that have been raised so far.

And today, his camp actively stepped up to explain that the stock manipulation and delisting incidents surrounding the COVID-19 treatment development company, which was the target of the MFDS solicitation, have nothing to do with the nominee.

Nominee Kim's camp claimed, "After a single contact with the Minister of Food and Drug Safety on October 12, 2021, there has been no additional contact or involvement regarding that matter whatsoever."

The stock manipulation incident involving broker Yang and COVID-19 treatment company CEO Kang occurred more than 9 months after the contact with the MFDS minister, meaning it is unrelated to Nominee Kim, according to the camp.

Nominee Kim's camp also explained the allegations regarding salary increases for the nominee's family members at a cooperative.

Previously, lawmaker Joo Jin-woo raised suspicions that Nominee Kim's family members raised their monthly salaries by 30% for two consecutive years using national subsidies from a social cooperative related to children with developmental disabilities.

In response, Nominee Kim's camp refuted this, stating, "It was calculated inaccurately without considering the working period and reasons for salary increases of the nominee's family members."

(Camera < Video > Reporting: Yang Hyun-chul, Video Editing: Seunghee)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.