Police to Question Complainant in 'Seungwon Kim Solicitation Allegations'...Reinvestigation at a Crossroads

Allegations of Favor Solicitation for Genencell's New COVID-19 Drug
Reinvestigation Considered 1 Year and 9 Months After Deferred Prosecution

The police have begun considering a reinvestigation into the allegations that Minister of Justice nominee Seungwon Kim solicited favors regarding a new COVID-19 drug.

Minister of Justice nominee Seungwon Kim is responding to reporters' questions as he arrives at the office of the confirmation hearing preparation team in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 7th. Photo by Jo Yongjun

According to police and other sources on September 10, Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul will summon former Seoul city council member Jongbae Lee as the complainant for questioning at around 10:30 a.m. on September 11. Recently, Lee filed a complaint against nominee Kim and Kangrip Kim, the former Commissioner of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, on charges including violations of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, abuse of authority, and dereliction of duty. The complaint stems from allegations that nominee Kim, in 2021, used a broker surnamed Yang to communicate a request from Genencell and exerted undue influence on the former Commissioner to expedite the clinical trial approval process for a COVID-19 treatment.

Former council member Lee insists that an investigation is necessary to determine whether nominee Kim abused his status as a member of the National Assembly to convey requests related to clinical trials for a specific company's new drug. Lee also asserts that authorities should investigate suspicions that a promise was made to receive sponsorship funds in exchange for the favor.

The allegations were previously investigated by prosecutors and resulted in a deferred prosecution in December 2024. A deferred prosecution is a form of non-prosecution in which a case is not brought to trial even if there is evidence of a crime, taking into account various circumstances. Unlike a final court verdict, a reinvestigation of the same matter is still possible.

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