Kim Seung-won, the nominee for justice minister who had faced allegations of lobbying for approval of a COVID-19 treatment clinical trial, stepped down 20 days after being named. He is the fifth ministerial nominee to fall through since the Lee Jae-myung government took office. With claims emerging that additional allegations not raised at his confirmation hearing were delivered to the presidential office shortly before he quit, controversy over the circumstances of his withdrawal is also growing.
According to political sources on the 20th, Kim stepped down on the morning of the 19th, a day after President Lee Jae-myung said at a Sept. 18 news conference that he had "not yet reached a conclusion" on whether to appoint him. Kim said he had "decided after deep deliberation to relinquish the position of justice minister nominee." The presidential office said it "understands that the nominee made the decision in order to reduce the burden on state affairs."
Although Kim framed his exit as a voluntary withdrawal, questions over the circumstances have mounted following claims that additional allegations were delivered to the presidential office just before he quit. A former aide said a petition had been submitted to the presidential office containing allegations of past sexual harassment by Kim and efforts to cover it up, an additional instance of drunk driving, and verbal abuse of aides.
The Democratic Party of Korea says it was not aware of the additional allegations in advance. The opposition, by contrast, has accused the party of pushing the nominee forward despite knowing about the allegations, calling the withdrawal an attempt to cut its losses. Rep. Han Dong-hoon, an independent lawmaker, said at a National Assembly news conference that afternoon: "If the Democratic Party knew and still tried to push this through, then it is an accomplice."
Kim's failure to win confirmation is expected to intensify criticism of the presidential office's personnel vetting system. With the launch of the new prosecution office and the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency little more than 10 days away, concerns are also growing over a leadership vacuum across the justice ministry and the broader judicial system.
