Kim Seungwon ‘New Drug Lobbying’ Dispute Intensifies... Opposition Calls It ‘Compendium of Greed’ vs Ruling Party Says ‘Han Donghoon’s Cabinet Politics’

People Power Party Presses Genencell Favoritism Allegations
Democratic Party Questions How Han Donghoon Acquired Materials

The political controversy surrounding Kim Seungwon, nominee for Minister of Justice, over allegations of lobbying for the approval of a COVID-19 treatment clinical trial, is intensifying. The People Power Party has escalated its offensive, calling for Kim’s nomination to be withdrawn and for an investigation to be launched, while the Democratic Party of Korea has counterattacked by questioning how independent lawmaker Han Donghoon obtained and continues to release related audio recordings and investigation materials.

Kim Seungwon, nominee for Minister of Justice, is speaking as he arrives at the hearing preparation office set up at Jeokseon Hyundai Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 3rd. Photo by Yonhap News

Choi Sujin, Senior Spokesperson for the People Power Party's parliamentary group, raised new suspicion in a statement on the 6th. She claimed that Genencell, the COVID-19 treatment company that submitted a petition regarding Kim, had its clinical trial approved just 33 days after application. Choi pointed out, "This is less than half of the 71-day average for companies with similar conditions," and asserted, "Despite the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety requesting 14 supplementary items, approval was granted just two weeks after a phone call between Kim and the head of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety."

However, Kim's side refuted these claims the previous day, explaining that the 33 days included the period used by the company to supplement its documents and that the Ministry's actual screening period was only 11 days. They emphasized that the fast-track review period applied to COVID-19 treatments at the time was within 15 days and that neither the review order nor standards were altered or procedures skipped due to Kim’s intervention.

Choi Sujin further mentioned suspicions that Genencell submitted animal testing data that was either omitted or manipulated, and referred to circumstances where Kim, a broker, and the judge in charge of warrants at the time met together. She argued, "Such specific circumstances cannot be explained away simply as the passing along of a petition."

Choi Boyun, chief spokesperson for the People Power Party, also cited suspicions around Kim’s alleged lobbying for a new drug, stock price manipulation, and the creation of slush funds involving the party's Gyeonggi Province branch. She insisted, "All that remains is a compendium of greed for power and personal gain without any sense of public duty," and demanded Kim's nomination be withdrawn. The People Power Party is focusing its offensive on the lobbying suspicion as the core issue to be scrutinized at Kim’s confirmation hearing, scheduled for the 15th.

Representative Na Kyungwon of the People Power Party raised issues about Genencell’s investment relationships. She stated on Facebook that the significant investments made by KH Feelux and its parent company KH Group in Genencell, as well as the connections to individuals and funds related to the alleged illegal remittance to North Korea and the Daejang-dong case, should also be thoroughly examined.

The Democratic Party, meanwhile, has targeted Assemblyman Han more than Kim’s alleged misconduct, focusing on Han’s repeated release of related recordings and investigative materials. Democratic Party spokesperson Cho Gye-won demanded in a written briefing that Han clarify in detail how he obtained what he says are illegal recordings and investigative materials, and apologize to the public.

Cho argued that private call recordings could only have been accessed via limited channels such as call participants or investigative institutions, and insisted the acquisition and disclosure process must be examined for illegality. He also criticized Han's actions as "prosecutor-style cabinet politics," saying, "Collecting incidents in a cabinet and selectively revealing them has long been the practice of political prosecutors."

Assemblyman Han has recently released several audio recordings, including conversations between Kim and a broker surnamed Yang. On this day as well, Han disclosed a recording of a call between the two on October 12, 2021, in which Kim suggests he will personally ensure the head of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety looks into the clinical trial issue. When Yang remarks, "It won’t be resolved at the director level," Kim replies, "It’s blocked at the director level? Got it."

Kim’s camp maintains that the message delivered to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety was not a privilege-seeking request but a public-interest petition asking that the clinical trial process for a domestic SME not be unfairly delayed during the COVID-19 crisis. Prosecutors, after investigating the matter, issued Kim a suspension of indictment in December 2024.

The Democratic Party also rebuts the opposition’s suspicions as political attacks by pointing out that, even after searches and summonses during the administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol, prosecutors did not take Kim to trial.

The National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold a confirmation hearing for Kim on the 15th. The main issues are expected to include the process of clinical trial approval for the new drug, Kim’s contact with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and the audio recordings and text messages disclosed by Assemblyman Han.

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