Two complaints over 'new drug lobbying' allegations assigned to Yeongdeungpo Police Station

Additional complaint over Capital Markets Act violation filed with Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency

Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency receives complaint over 'family cooperative' controversy

Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon holds a press conference at the National Assembly's media center Sunday regarding Kim Seung-won, nominee for minister of justice. [Yonhap]
Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon holds a press conference at the National Assembly's media center Sunday regarding Kim Seung-won, nominee for minister of justice. [Yonhap]

Police have launched an investigation into complaints filed against Kim Seung-won, the nominee for minister of justice, over allegations that he lobbied for approval of a new drug clinical trial. Investigators plan to obtain records from a previous related investigation to review the legal reasoning behind its outcome.

Kim Jong-cheol, acting commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, told reporters at a regular briefing Monday that two complaints related to the new drug lobbying allegations had been received and assigned to the Yeongdeungpo Police Station, where investigators are questioning the complainants.

A total of three complaints against the nominee have been filed with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to date, citing six charges — violations of the Anti-Graft Act and the Political Funds Act, violations of the Capital Markets Act, dereliction of duty, abuse of authority and brokered bribery.

Two of the three complaints have been assigned to the Yeongdeungpo station — one filed by former Seoul city council member Lee Jong-bae and another by civic group Seomin Minsaeng Daechaek Wiwonhoe. A third complaint, also related to the new drug lobbying allegations and citing Capital Markets Act violations, was filed by Lee on Monday morning and had not yet been assigned to a station.

Kim, the acting commissioner general, said the investigation was not a reinvestigation but was proceeding on the basis of the newly filed complaints. He added that investigators would obtain and analyze records from the earlier related probe. "We will comprehensively examine what kind of investigation was conducted at the time and how the legal review was carried out to reach that conclusion," he said.

Asked whether the investigation might extend to incumbent prosecutors or whether there were plans to question People Power Party lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, Kim said it was too early to determine the scope. "Since we are still in the early stages of the investigation, I do not think it is the right time to decide on its scope," he said. "We will proceed according to the necessary procedures."

The Yeongdeungpo Police Station questioned Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Dong-a on Sunday in connection with a separate complaint over alleged leaks of investigative materials related to the nominee.

Earlier, People Power Party lawmaker Han alleged that prosecutors investigating Kim's suspected lobbying for clinical trial approval had come under outside pressure and issued a deferred prosecution, and he released a prosecution plan drafted by the investigative team at the time.

In response, Kim Seung-won filed a complaint with the Korean National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters on Sept. 7, arguing that Han's disclosure of the prosecution plan constituted a leak of official secrets. That case was assigned to the Yeongdeungpo Police Station.

'Family cooperative' complaint filed with Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency

A complaint was also filed Monday with the Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency over the selection of a Suwon-based service provider for after-school activities for children with developmental disabilities — a process at the center of what critics have called the "family cooperative" controversy surrounding the nominee. Police said they would begin an investigation as soon as the case is assigned.

The complainant is said to have drafted the filing based on the contents of a press conference held Sunday by People Power Party lawmaker Ju Jin-woo.

At that press conference, Ju alleged that the cooperative led by Kim's spouse was selected as a provider of after-school activity services in Suwon in 2022 through a process in which the city manipulated evaluation scores to grant preferential treatment.

The complainant reportedly argued that the full range of allegations raised by Ju warranted investigation, and called for Kim to be punished on charges including causing losses to public funds, abuse of authority, improper solicitation and falsification of official documents.


newday@heraldcorp.com