Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon revealed the contents of a phone call on the 6th between nominee for Minister of Justice Kim Seung-won and a broker surnamed Yang, who was implicated in a solicitation scandal involving the approval of a new drug clinical trial, stating that there had been "blatant and illegal calls" even before they exchanged "solicitation text messages."

Taking to Facebook that day, Lawmaker Han stated, "It seems that Yang or nominee Kim's side is claiming that there were only two solicitation text messages reported in the media, but that is a lie," while releasing the relevant transcript.

According to the transcript, during their first phone call on October 12, 2021, nominee Kim told Yang, "I will talk to them to look into it directly. Which division is it? Which department by any chance? Ah, well, the Minister of Food and Drug Safety will know. Anyway, you need to get Phase 3 approval quickly so you can see the results, right? I'll ask the Minister directly to look into it and report back to me."

In their second phone call, nominee Kim mentioned, "I spoke about it, and since they said they would check and report back to me, let's wait and see. The Minister is helping to expedite the process by deploying all available personnel—that is the principled stance they are talking about."

In response, Yang vented, "That's right. So I was going to provide the data today, but another person in charge said not to give it today. It's a matter of the persons in charge passing the buck, and although people in charge are reaching out since it's a bit of an issue, it's not making it past the section chief level."

Nominee Kim then replied, "Blocked at the section chief level? Got it."

Lawmaker Han explained, "Even on that single day of October 12, 2021, there were such blatant and illegal phone calls between nominee Kim, Yang, and Minister of Food and Drug Safety Kim Gang-lip before they exchanged solicitation text messages."

He pointed out, "Minister Kim, who received lobbying from nominee Kim, delivered the fact of solicitation to 'Section Chief Kim [Mo], who was the very person blocking it,' via a text message sent by Secretary Ko [Mo], which I disclosed earlier. It is 'romantic' and 'successful'."

The text message released by Lawmaker Han was sent by Ko, the secretary to Minister Kim, to Kim, who was then the head of the Clinical Trial Policy Division. Secretary Ko wrote, "Section Chief. Lawmaker Kim Seung-won sent a separate text message. The Minister asked you to look into it, but make sure that such talk does not come out from that side starting next time."

Lawmaker Han pointed out, "It was a successful act of lobbying that reached even the working-level staff."

Lawmaker Han also released a video showing that in February 2021, when COVID-19 was at its peak, the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea visited Jeju to encourage a company developing treatments, noting that the CEO of that company is the central figure in the current suspicion, and pointed out, "'Oppa's poison lobbying' is not just the problem of Kim Seung-won alone. That is why the Democratic Party is going all-out, calling it a 'good deed' and a 'public interest civil petition'."

Furthermore, Lawmaker Han released phone call contents that seemed to hint at additional meetings with Judge Jeong [Mo], who was in charge of warrants for the new drug clinical trial approval solicitation case—a judge whom nominee Kim's side had claimed they had "merely bumped into by chance" and had never met or contacted.

The phone call between nominee Kim and Yang released by Lawmaker Han contained nominee Kim referring to Judge Jeong as "my close friend" and details about the three of them attempting to meet up at a drinking gathering.

Previously, nominee Kim, a former judge, was investigated on charges of asking then-Minister of Food and Drug Safety Kim Gang-lip to approve clinical trials for a COVID-19 treatment in October 2021 at the solicitation of Yang. However, in December 2024, prosecutors issued a deferred prosecution disposition against nominee Kim, citing a lack of direct monetary exchange and difficulty in conclusively determining the illegality of the solicitation.

Meanwhile, regarding the Democratic Party taking issue with how he obtained the transcripts, Lawmaker Han retorted via Facebook, saying, "There are still many whistleblowers in the world who step forward for the public interest."

Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Dong-ah stated that day that he would file a complaint with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials against an unnamed provider who handed over the investigative records to Lawmaker Han, signaling his intent to turn the issue of investigative record leakage into a major point of contention.

In response, Lawmaker Han fired back, stating, "Such intimidation cannot silence the voice of lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, who is fulfilling his duty for the public interest. The more the Democratic Party collectively throws a fit, the more it will act as a self-defeating move that informs all citizens that 'the Democratic Party also acknowledges the facts of Oppa's poison lobbying,' 'the Democratic Party defends Oppa's poison lobbying,' and 'everyone in the Democratic Party lives like Kim Seung-won'."