On the 7th, Minister of Justice nominee Kim Seung-won aimed at independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, who is raising allegations against Kim, and said, "You should appear as a witness at the hearing and take responsibility for what you said."
That morning, Kim met reporters on the way to work at the office of the confirmation hearing preparation team set up in the Jeokseon Hyundai Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and said, "I will also request as witnesses the prosecutors who made the (suspended indictment) disposition," adding the same point.
In the past, Kim was investigated over the "new drug clinical approval lobbying allegations" and received a suspended indictment from prosecutors at the end of 2024. Han has been raising allegations by splitting and repeatedly releasing the call recording transcript between Kim and a broker surnamed Yang, and is arguing that the explanations put forward by Kim's side are false.
Kim said that day, "Regarding the allegations raised by the former Minister Han, I have never made improper lobbying to the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety," adding, "Nor did that cause the MFDS review to be conducted unfairly. That fact is clearly indicated in the prosecution's non-indictment report."
Kim went on, "The period when the prosecution's investigation was underway was a time when the former Minister Han mobilized more than 10 prosecutors for about three years to comb through everything," adding, "The prosecution acknowledged, as a result of that investigation, that there was no improper lobbying or distortion of a fair review. The MFDS commissioner and civil servants involved were all cleared of charges."
Kim said, "The former Minister Han now says my suspended indictment was due to external pressure," adding, "At the time of the suspended indictment, it was the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, with Park Seong-jae as Minister of Justice and Shim Woo-jung as prosecutor general. How could I, merely a first-term Democratic Party lawmaker, pressure the prosecution to make it a suspended indictment?"
Aiming at Han, Kim added, "You are claiming that, through external pressure within the prosecution and the Ministry of Justice where you served, my suspended indictment was made. Please make sure to attend the hearing and prove the facts."
Kim also said, "Han is waging a political offensive by leaking bits of investigative materials to the media from his time as Minister of Justice," adding, "Leaking investigative materials is subject to criminal punishment." Kim continued, "This is a typical example of the 'prosecutors' cabinet politics' that Han carried out with Yoon Suk-yeol," and asked, "Where did you obtain the investigative materials, and did you acquire them lawfully?"
Regarding the new drug lobbying allegations, Kim said, "I take seriously that I should have been more cautious in the process of conveying a civil complaint related to clinical approval for a COVID-19 (treatment)."
Asked, "Do you think it was appropriate to make contact of a petitioning nature with then-MFDS Commissioner Kim Gang-lip?" Kim said, "At the time, multinational companies were reaping enormous revenue of 1 trillion won or 2 trillion won in Korea, and I was told they were hindering a domestic pharmaceutical company's development of a COVID-19 treatment, so I conveyed to the commissioner the intent to promptly handle a procedure that had been fairly delayed."
Kim added, "I had never met the MFDS commissioner at the time, so I conveyed the petition matter as neutrally and dryly as possible while keeping the utmost courtesy."
That day on Facebook, Han wrote, "Since Kim wants it, I ask National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik and other officials to appoint me as a Kim Seung-won confirmation hearing Commissioner," adding, "If a hearing is held, that is."