Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon kept up a sustained offensive Sunday against Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won over allegations that Kim lobbied for approval of a new drug, posting a series of recorded phone calls on Facebook between Kim and a broker surnamed Yang who is linked to the alleged lobbying. Han compared the case to the "second Cho Kuk scandal."
"The broker said, 'pinpoint the blocked section chief' — a successful lobby," Han wrote in one of the posts.
Han claimed that Kim, acting on a request from broker Yang Su-jin, lobbied then-Ministry of Food and Drug Safety Commissioner Kim Gang-rip, who in turn passed the request down to staff rather than burying it. "It was a successful lobby that reached all the way to the working level," Han said. He cited a text message he said was sent on Oct. 12, 2021, by a person surnamed Ko — described as the commissioner's secretary — to a person surnamed Kim, identified as the head of the clinical policy division: "Director, Lawmaker Kim Seung-won sent a separate text. The commissioner said to look into it, but make sure they don't bring up this kind of thing again from now on."
Han also released additional recordings, saying Kim's camp appeared to be spreading "groundless rumors behind the scenes" and demanding that Kim personally explain the "goods" he received from the broker.
In a separate Facebook post Sunday, Han said the "oppa poison lobby" was not solely Kim's problem, adding that was why the Democratic Party of Korea was "going all out" to defend it as "a good deed" and "a public-interest complaint."
Han had already escalated his attacks Saturday, writing on Facebook that the Democratic Party was "pushing Kim Seung-won as minister while ignoring the facts" about the oppa poison lobby allegations, and declaring that "the Kim Seung-won affair is the second Cho Kuk scandal."
mkkang@heraldcorp.com
