In South Korea, Kim Seung-won withdraws candidacy for justice minister — Korea Herald
In South Korea, justice minister nominee Kim Seung-won withdrew his candidacy 20 days after being nominated. At a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, he said that he did not want the controversy surrounding him to become a burden on the Lee Jae-myung administration.
As Korea Herald reports, Kim said he made the final decision after Lee's press conference. Lee said that he had not yet decided on appointing the nominee and intended to take into account his qualifications and public expectations.
Candidate's statement
“After deep consideration, I decided to withdraw my candidacy for the post of justice minister,” Kim said. He acknowledged that he had failed to meet public expectations and said he intended to reflect on his own shortcomings.
According to the nominee, people's well-being and the success of the government's work should be priorities. He stressed that he did not want to create an additional burden for the authorities, who must care for citizens' well-being and implement the reform agenda.
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Criticism during hearings
Two days before the announcement of the withdrawal of his candidacy, the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee approved a report following hearings on Kim. During the hearings, the opposition People Power Party criticized him over a number of allegations.
In particular, the allegations concerned claims that in October 2021, Kim passed on a request to pharmaceutical regulators to expedite approval of a clinical trial of a COVID-19 drug by Genencell. There were also accusations of possible preferential treatment connected to a social cooperative for people with developmental disabilities, where members of his family worked. He was also criticized over a previous conviction for drunk driving.
Kim expressed sympathy for people with disabilities, their families, and care sector workers who, he said, had suffered because of the controversy. At the same time, he said that he would continue to deny allegations he considers unfair and advocate for prosecutorial reform.
