Kim Seung-won, nominee for Minister of the Ministry of Justice, was additionally accused in connection with the alleged lobbying for approval of a clinical trial for a COVID-19 treatment one day before his confirmation hearing.
The Citizens' Coalition for the Protection of Ordinary People's Livelihoods (Seominwi) said on the 14th it filed a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency accusing the nominee of fraud, attempted murder as an accessory, and abuse of authority. It also filed complaints accusing Genencell founder, a person surnamed Kang, of fraud and attempted murder, and broker, a person surnamed Yang, of fraud and attempted murder as an accessory.
Seominwi said, "When the treatment was administered to hamsters infected with COVID-19, one of five died, and drug regurgitation and hematemesis were observed during administration," and argued, "Obtaining approval for the clinical trial plan from the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety with materials that omitted the abnormal findings constitutes attempted murder."
It added, "Yang, who raises reasonable suspicion of having gone along with the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety's approval despite recognizing this, and the nominee Kim, who may have knowingly condoned it, are accessories to attempted murder."
At the core of the suspicion is the process by which Genencell obtained approval of the clinical trial plan (IND) for the COVID-19 treatment candidate substance "ES16001." It has been found that facts such as hamster deaths during preclinical animal testing were not properly submitted to the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety. However, Kang argues that the hamster deaths were unrelated to the drug's safety issues.
Kang also contacted Yang on Oct. 6, 2021, saying he was "worried that the clinical trial approval might not come through," and on Oct. 12, Yang asked the then head of the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety, Kim Gang-lip, through the nominee Kim to expedite the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety's approval. The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety then approved phase 2/3 trials for ES16001 on Oct. 26.
Former Seoul City Council member Lee Jong-bae also filed a police complaint the same day accusing the nominee Kim, Kang, Yang, and others of fraudulent unfair transaction under the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act.
Lee, the former city council member, noted, "Kang asked broker Yang to 'get expedited approval through a political figure because we agreed to receive investment conditional on clinical trial approval,' and Yang asked the nominee Kim to secure approval," adding, "The nominee Kim also contacted the then head of the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety to make the request, and approval was actually granted." He went on to argue, "The nominee Kim recognized that clinical trial approval could affect Genencell's corporate value and stock price."