Blue House Respects Kim Seungwon's Resignation, Cites Effort to Ease State Burden

"Follow-up procedures to proceed according to established regulations"
Kim resigns voluntarily just one day after President Lee’s remarks on 'public expectations'

The Blue House announced on the 19th that it "respects the decision" of Kim Seungwon, the nominee for Minister of Justice, to voluntarily withdraw from his candidacy.

President Lee Jae-myung is answering reporters' questions at a press conference held at the Blue House's State Guest House on the 18th. Photo by Yonhap News, 2026.9.18

Kang Yoo-jung, the Chief Presidential Spokesperson, made this announcement in a notice released on the same day, saying, "We understand that the nominee made this decision to reduce the burden on state affairs," and added, "Necessary follow-up procedures will proceed according to prescribed regulations."

On the same morning, nominee Kim held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Center and stated, "After much deliberation, I have decided to step down from the position of Minister of Justice nominee." This comes 20 days after he was nominated on August 30. Kim said, "My decision was solidified after watching the President's press conference yesterday," adding, "I thought it was not right to further burden a government that must focus on improving people's livelihoods and completing reforms." He continued, "I earnestly recognize that I have fallen short of the public's expectations and will deeply reflect on my shortcomings."

President Lee stated at the press conference held the previous day at the State Guest House of the Blue House that the final decision on whether to appoint Kim as justice minister had "not yet been made." He said, "I will make a careful decision by considering numerous issues and comments that have arisen in the process, as well as the expectations of the public." Regarding the series of controversies that arose during the personnel verification process, President Lee added, "I intend to review the personnel system."

Kim has faced suspicions that he exercised influence over related agencies after receiving solicitations from pharmaceutical companies during the approval process for COVID-19 treatment clinical trials. These suspicions were heavily discussed at the National Assembly's personnel hearing on the 15th, and on the 17th, the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly, led by the Democratic Party of Korea, adopted the personnel hearing report while People Power Party lawmakers walked out.

With Kim's withdrawal, President Lee will have to begin the process of selecting a new nominee for Minister of Justice. In particular, since the president personally announced his intention to review the personnel system the previous day, it is expected that ensuring both moral integrity and policy capabilities, as well as improving the precision of advance vetting, will become major tasks in the upcoming nomination process.

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