Jung Jeom-sik, the floor leader of the People Power Party, intensified his criticism of Kim Seung-won, the nominee for Minister of Justice, on September 11, stating that Kim should undergo a national investigation rather than a confirmation hearing.
During a party strategy meeting at the National Assembly, Jung asserted, "The various allegations against the nominee are not merely personal corruption but involve lobbying and stock manipulation scandals."
Jung claimed, "Kim, who was a member of the National Assembly at the time, had a drug that kills mice approved for clinical trials by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety just two weeks after contacting the agency's head," alleging that Kim exerted external pressure on the ministry at the request of an acquaintance.
He also raised concerns about stock manipulation. Jung noted, "The stock price of Sejong Medical, the largest shareholder of Genensel, which developed the problematic drug, skyrocketed due to expectations of clinical approval, only to plummet after the announcement of the approval, resulting in a profit of 18 billion won for the operators while 30,000 individual investors suffered losses."
Following the rejection of all witnesses proposed by the People Power Party for Kim's confirmation hearing, Jung emphasized, "Without witnesses, we cannot uncover whether there was any political interference in the lobbying and stock manipulation cases. A national investigation and even the introduction of a special prosecutor are necessary."
Im Yi-ja, the policy chief of the People Power Party, raised suspicions about a connection between the judge who dismissed the arrest warrant for Genensel's founder and Kim. Im stated, "Kim claimed he did not contact the presiding judge, but it has come to light that the judge's son worked as a legislative assistant in Kim's office in 2024," criticizing, "One lie leads to another."
Im also directed criticism at President Lee Jae-myung, saying, "If he continues to push through appointments while ignoring the public, it will be a declaration of war against public sentiment."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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