Rival Parties Clash over Allegations against Justice Minister Nominee
[Politics] : Anchor: The parliamentary confirmation hearing for Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won has descended into an all-out showdown between ruling and opposition party lawmakers. Discussing allegations that Kim took part in illegal lobbying for a pharmaceutical company, the opposition said the matter might grow ... [more...]
Justice minister nominee Kim Seung-won has dismissed allegations of illegal lobbying, stating that he will ensure information related to an ongoing investigation is not used for political gain. This comes in response to independent Rep. Han Dong-hoon's disclosure of investigation materials implicating Kim in alleged lobbying activities.
Han, a former prosecutor, requested clarification on how he obtained the materials, to which Kim responded at his confirmation hearing at the National Assembly. If appointed, Kim pledged to address the "political use of investigative information." The Justice Minister nominee, who has a background as a two-term lawmaker, faced suspicion of leveraging his influence to advance a pharmaceutical company's COVID-19 clinical drug trial approval in October 2021.
However, prosecutors later halted the indictment following an investigation. Both Kim and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) maintained that Han had obtained the information improperly.
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- Justice minister nominee hits back over lobbying allegations koreatimes.co.kr
