Justice Minister Nominee Denies Acting Improperly in Drug Trial Lobbying Case
[Politics] : Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won has denied allegations that he misused his influence as a lawmaker in 2021 to help a pharmaceutical company obtain approval for a clinical trial for a COVID-19 treatment, while acknowledging that he “should have exercised greater caution.” Speaking to reporters on ... [more...]
Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won has refuted allegations of illegally lobbying for a COVID-19 treatment in 2021, stating he should have been more cautious in making his request, Yonhap reports. Kim claimed he never engaged in unlawful solicitation and that the food and drug ministry's review was not unfairly conducted as a result.
Prosecutors previously dropped the case after determining Kim's request could not be definitively deemed illegal solicitation. Kim's team described his request as delivering a public interest grievance to prevent trial delay, stating no political donations or valuables were received in return. Independent Rep. Han Dong-hoon released recordings allegedly showing Kim and a broker discussing lobbying efforts, prompting Kim to accuse Han of leaking investigative material in a politically motivated attack.
Written by urgent.news from Yonhap News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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