Justice minister nominee denies intention to cancel indictments against Lee once in office

Seoul, September 3 -- Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won, a ruling Democratic Party lawmaker, has firmly stated he will not seek to cancel indictments against President Lee Jae Myung if appointed. Kim addressed the issue amid criticism from the main opposition People Power Party. He clarified that the justice minister does not hold authority to issue such orders through the prosecutor general.

Instead, prosecutors maintain control over indictments in individual cases, and Kim intends to respect their role. Kim's involvement in a group advocating for dropping Lee's indictments stems from his belief that the cases were politically motivated. The indictments stemmed from charges of false statements during the 2022 election, corruption related to a development project while Lee was Seongnam mayor, embezzlement of provincial funds during his tenure as Gyeonggi governor, and suborning perjury.