Justice Minister Nominee Kim Seungwon Apologizes for Concerns Over Allegations... "Will Explain at Confirmation Hearing"

On Hiring of Presiding Judge's Son: "Appointed Through a Public Interview"
On New Drug Lobbying Allegation: "It Was Delivery of a Grievance"
"If Appointed as Justice Minister, Will Focus on Prosecution Reform and More"

Minister of Justice nominee Seungwon Kim expressed his regret regarding various allegations surrounding him, stating, "As a politician, I deeply apologize for causing public concern with so many controversies."

Kim Seungwon, nominee for Minister of Justice, is responding to reporters' questions while arriving at the confirmation hearing preparation office set up in Jeokseon Hyundai Building, Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 11th. Photo by Yonhap News

On September 11, as he arrived at the hearing preparation office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Kim said, "I have shared my stance on several allegations through the preparation team," adding, "I will provide a detailed explanation on all matters at the confirmation hearing."

Regarding the hiring of the son of Presiding Judge Jeong In-jae, who was mentioned in allegations involving lobbying for the approval of COVID-19 treatment clinical trials, as a legislative assistant in his parliamentary office, Kim explained, "Because I have nothing to hide, I openly appointed him to the legislative assistant position through a public interview process."

Kim further clarified, "A legislative assistant is not a regular employee but is tasked with supporting National Assembly work. To my recollection, he received a monthly stipend of about 1 million won for his efforts," he added. He continued, "If there were anything improper, all records are public," and noted that, as far as he knows, the assistant joined the military after completing his work.

With regard to the accusation of lobbying the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for approval of a COVID-19 treatment clinical trial, Kim maintained his previous stance, stating that it was simply "the delivery of a public-interest grievance." Kim said, "A small company was unable to proceed with the process due to pressure from a multinational company, so the request was to find out why and to address any unfairness. Clinical trials were also ongoing abroad at the time, and as everyone was working to develop treatments during the pandemic, I deemed it appropriate to convey the matter."

He emphasized, "I only delivered the message to the head of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety once and exchanged one or two related text messages. That is all." He clarified that he did not seek special favors or involve himself in the subsequent review process.

However, regarding whether an official job posting was issued for the legislative assistant recruitment and about additional recorded evidence suggesting that a middleman named Yang was introduced to Judge Jeong, Kim did not address these questions and entered his office without comment.

Kim stated that, if appointed as Minister of Justice, he would continue with reform initiatives such as prosecution reform. He said, "I have been involved in activities such as prosecution reform, media reform, and amending corporate law to normalize the capital markets," adding, "If I become Minister of Justice, I intend to devote myself to furthering reforms for the people."

Kim's parliamentary confirmation hearing is scheduled for September 15.

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