As independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon released an audio recording related to the "lobbying allegation for approval of a COVID-19 treatment clinical trial," Minister of Justice nominee Kim Seung-won's camp said the recording "was doctored by cutting off the beginning and end to turn a confirmation of a civil petition into pressure for approval."
Kim's confirmation hearing preparation team issued an explanation on the 6th, saying, "What the nominee asked the head of the food and drug safety agency for was not approval but a check on the review status and a report," and stated accordingly.
The team said Kim told an acquaintance, a person surnamed Yang, during a call, "I will ask the Minister to personally look into it once," and "I will ask for a report," and explained that the head of the food and drug safety agency also assessed it in a prosecution interview as a "principled remark."
Earlier, lawmaker Han said on Facebook that day, "It sounds like Yang or Kim's side is saying that two text messages to the media were the entirety of the solicitation, but that's a lie," and released the related transcript. In the released transcript, when Yang said, "It doesn't get past the Director level at the (Ministery of Food and Drug Safety)," Kim replied, "It's blocked at the Director level? Got it."
On this, the team said, "Nowhere in the recording is there any demand for unconditional approval, easing of review standards, or skipping procedures," and argued that "lawmaker Han highlighted only 'It's blocked at the Director level? Got it.'"
They said Han did not disclose the part where Yang said, "It's okay if it's delayed, but we need to know the reason, so please check," explaining that the review was being delayed due to the responsible officials avoiding accountability. The team's position is that "the nominee only answered that he would find out the reason."
The team maintained that the agency's review at the time also proceeded according to existing procedures and standards. According to the team, COVID-19 treatment developer Genencell applied for clinical trial plan approval on Sept. 23, 2021, and the agency requested supplementation on the 30th of the same month.
Even after Oct. 12, when Kim made contact, final supplementary materials were submitted on the 18th of the same month, and after an expert advisory meeting on the 22nd, approval was granted on the 26th.
The team said, "The number of days required for Genencell's review under the official standards of the agency was 11 days," adding, "It was actually longer than the average of 8.8 days for other new-substance COVID-19 treatments. The claim that the review was expedited due to the nominee's contact does not match the objective review records."
They added, "We ask that you stop the political offensive that deletes the overall context and distorts a public-interest civil petition into illegal lobbying."
Meanwhile, Kim is scheduled to take questions from reporters as he arrives for work at 9:30 a.m. on the 7th at the personnel hearing preparation office in the Jeokseon Hyundai Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul. It is expected to be the first occasion for an official stance on allegations raised since he first reported to work on the 3rd.