The police investigation into allegations of lobbying for a COVID-19 drug involving Kim Seung-won, the nominee for Minister of Justice, is expected to focus on distinguishing between public interest complaints and private lobbying.
According to legal sources on September 9, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency assigned the case involving allegations of abuse of power, violation of the Anti-Corruption Law, and dereliction of duty against Kim and former Food and Drug Safety Minister Kim Kang-rip to the Yeongdeungpo Police Station.
Kim is accused of requesting expedited processing of a clinical trial plan for the COVID-19 treatment developed by the pharmaceutical company Genensel at the behest of a friend, identified as Yang, while he was a member of the National Assembly in 2021.
Yang, who was asked by Genensel's founder, Kang Se-chan, sent Kim development materials for the new drug, requesting, "Please mention this to the Minister." Kim reportedly responded with an "Okay" and subsequently asked Kim Kang-rip for swift processing of the application, which was approved later that month.
Kang later attempted to send Kim a donation of 5 million won, but was unable to do so due to donation limits. The Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office decided not to indict Kim, while charging Yang and Kang.
In its non-indictment decision, the prosecution acknowledged the allegations against Kim but concluded that it was difficult to classify his request for expedited processing as an illegal solicitation. They noted that he did not receive any donations and found no evidence of his involvement in any further wrongdoing by Yang and Kang.
The police are expected to investigate whether Kim's request constituted private lobbying for a specific company and whether he solicited or agreed to receive the 5 million won donation. Analysts suggest that new evidence proving a quid pro quo between the solicitation and the donation would be necessary for a different conclusion than the previous decision.
Kang denied the allegations during a CBS radio interview, claiming that a transcript released by independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon was edited and asserting, "I have never thought about or discussed any quid pro quo regarding the donation." Kang has been indicted for manipulating data during the clinical trial approval process and was sentenced to three years in prison, with a five-year suspended sentence.
The renewed investigation has also raised concerns regarding the safety of the whistleblower. Lawmaker Park Jeong-hoon from the People Power Party revealed that the whistleblower, identified as Cho, received a threat from Yang, stating, "I will kill you without anyone knowing." Cho submitted related recordings to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, which has reportedly requested police protection for him.
Additionally, a separate controversy has emerged regarding salary increases at the Korea Child Development Social Cooperative, where Kim's family members are employed. Kim's spouse's salary rose from 3.82 million won in 2024 to 5.16 million won this year, an increase of about 35%. Their eldest son's salary also increased from 2.66 million won to 3.71 million won, a rise of approximately 39.4% during the same period.
Lawmaker Joo Jin-woo from the People Power Party claimed that while Kim was active in the National Assembly's Budget Special Committee, the cooperative received 880 million won in tax support and failed to properly accumulate legal reserves.
Kim's hearing preparation team refuted these claims, stating that the salary increases were due to increased responsibilities. They emphasized that the salaries are comparable to those of other teachers in the facility and were approved through discussions with cooperative members, who are parents of children with developmental disabilities. They called for an end to baseless smear campaigns.
As he arrived at the hearing preparation office in Jongno, Seoul, Kim stated regarding the ongoing allegations, "I will thoroughly understand the details and explain them step by step during the hearing preparation."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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