Source: Seoul Shinmun · 정치

What happened

According to Seoul Shinmun, Kim Seung-won, the Democratic Party lawmaker nominated as Justice Minister, clarified on Sept. 15 a hearing line: “I am a liberal arts major, so I could not know COVID-19 treatment efficacy well.” His prep team said outlets that framed it as responsibility evasion misread his intent.

The team said drug efficacy and document authenticity belong to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and that he could not have known about internal experiment-data manipulation. He only forwarded a complaint that a domestic COVID-19 treatment review not be unfairly delayed, without demanding approval or intervening afterward.

The breakdown

Seoul Shinmun reports People Power Party lawmaker Kim Min-jeon pressed Kim at the Sept. 15 hearing over a Genenscell complaint Kim had sent to the drug regulator, citing a court finding that the firm’s animal experiments were manipulated. Kim replied that if he had known, he would not be in the hearing room — he would face an arrest warrant or trial. He said checks showed no involvement, and Yoon Suk-yeol-era prosecutors issued no indictment.

In 2021, businessman Yang Mo asked Kim to help secure Genenscell COVID-19 trial approval. Kim forwarded the request to then–Food and Drug Safety chief Kim Kang-lip and agreed to a 5 million won donation that was never transferred. Prosecutors gave deferred prosecution in December 2024; Kim filed a constitutional petition, calling it a public-interest forwarding. On Sept. 7 he said prosecutors found no improper lobbying and no distortion of fair review, and related agency officials were also non-indicted. The Sept. 15 statement targets press framing, not a new denial of the complaint.

Why it matters outside Korea

Foreign pharmaceutical firms and compliance teams watch Korea’s Justice Ministry because it shapes prosecution policy and regulatory-fraud casework. A nominee tied to a drug-approval complaint and court-cited lab manipulation tests whether “fair review” forwarding stays separate from market access — and whether deferred prosecution survives confirmation. It also previews how Lee Jae-myung’s second pick will be framed: reform architect or business-complaint conduit.

What travelers and expats should watch

• Do not treat the “liberal arts major” clip as the full record. Confirmation may hinge on the 2021 Genenscell forwarding and 5 million won pledge, plus deferred prosecution and a constitutional petition — not the sound bite alone.
• If you follow Korean biotech news, track MFDS review timelines separately from Justice Ministry politics. Kim says efficacy belongs to the drug agency; watch whether confirmation debate spills into regulatory credibility narratives.
• Watch floor scheduling and constitutional-court mentions. A deferred-prosecution nominee with an open petition adds uncertainty about when a fully empowered minister takes office.

Context

Read this as a nominee reframing a viral hearing quote amid an unresolved 2021 regulatory-complaint file, not as proof that Genenscell’s animal-test manipulation claims are settled or that Kim’s confirmation is assured. Seoul Shinmun documents clarification and cross-party questioning; it does not report a new prosecutor action or a changed deferred-prosecution status on Sept. 15.

Source

Seoul Shinmun: “실험 조작, 문과라 몰랐다”는 김승원…“책임 회피하려는 것 아니었다” 해명 — Korean original; paraphrased for briefing; read the original for full detail.