Jeong Yeon-wook, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, urged an investigation into the drug lobby allegations against Kim Seung-won, the nominee for Minister of Justice, on September 7.
In a Facebook post, Jeong stated, "The facts are simple," emphasizing that the core issue is whether there was a request for clinical approval regarding a drug that caused experimental rats to bleed and die. He also shared a video of independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon’s background briefing, which included related recordings.
In the video, Han revealed text messages mentioning other Democratic Party lawmakers from broker Yang Mo, related to the allegations of Kim's request for approval of new drug clinical trials. In response, Kim questioned Han about the sources of the recordings and investigation materials.
Jeong criticized Kim, saying, "Kim is making excuses by questioning the source of the tip-off," and described this as an attempt to deflect attention from the core issue. He added, "This is a matter of life and death for the public," warning that if the situation is ignored or dismissed, it could lead to a 'second Cho Kuk incident.'
Jeong called on Kim to clarify the situation immediately in front of the public. Meanwhile, the People Power Party is demanding that Kim resign from both his nomination as Minister of Justice and his position as a lawmaker.
Previously, Kim faced an investigation over allegations of requesting approval for new drug clinical trials and received a decision of non-prosecution from the prosecution at the end of 2024.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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