Seungwon Kim Reported to Police over Alleged Lobbying for COVID-19 Treatment Approval

Accused of Violating Improper Solicitation and Graft Act
"Undue Influence Exerted" Alleged

Personnel Hearing Team: "Actions Were Taken According to Official Procedures"

Seungwon Kim, nominee for Minister of Justice, has been reported to the police over allegations that, during his first term as a lawmaker, he requested the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to expedite approval of clinical trial plans for Genencell's COVID-19 treatment.

Kim Seungwon, nominee for Minister of Justice. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

On the morning of September 4, former Seoul city councilor Jongbae Lee announced via the national e-People petition platform that he had filed a report with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against nominee Kim and former Ministry of Food and Drug Safety Commissioner Kangrip Kim, accusing them of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, abuse of power, and dereliction of duty. Lee asserted that nominee Kim had requested the then-commissioner to swiftly handle the approval of Genencell's clinical trial plan and argued that, since the ministry approved the plan, nominee Kim may have exerted undue influence.

In 2021, nominee Kim had previously been investigated after sending a message to then-Commissioner Kangrip Kim at the request of a broker, identified as Mr. Yang, urging the prompt approval of Genencell’s clinical trial plan. At the time, prosecutors issued a suspension of indictment. The personnel hearing preparation team for nominee Kim explained the day before, "At the time, COVID-19 treatments were subject to a fast-track review program with a standard of 'processing within 15 days after receiving supplementary materials,' and approval proceeded within the timeline." They further clarified that "the approval was conducted according to the official procedures of the ministry, which took several months."

Former councilor Lee also cited court rulings as evidence that Professor Kang, who founded Genencell, was concerned about delays in the clinical trial approval and asked Mr. Yang to expedite the process through connections with political figures.

He further argued, citing the prosecution’s indictment, that there was fabrication and falsification in the materials Genencell submitted to the regulatory agency. Specifically, he contended that Professor Kang wrote a report as if hamster animal testing had been conducted when it had not actually taken place, and that adverse effects—including deaths of hamsters during the real animal testing—were omitted from the submitted report.

Additionally, he raised that if officials at the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety were aware of the likelihood of falsified or fabricated materials but, under the instructions of the former commissioner, failed to properly demand verification or supplementary materials, this could constitute abuse of authority or dereliction of duty. He argued that if nominee Kim was directly involved in these procedures, he could be seen as an accomplice.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.