Kim Seung-won, the nominee for justice minister, said he has "no intention whatsoever of exercising the power of command" over whether to withdraw charges in cases involving President Lee Jae-myung. On a separate matter — a suspended indictment over alleged influence-peddling at the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety — the nominee denied wrongdoing, saying he wants "to clear my name to the very end."
Speaking to reporters on the 3rd as he arrived at his confirmation hearing preparation office in the Jeokseon Hyundai Building in Jongno District, Seoul, Kim said that "legally, the authority to maintain prosecution in individual cases rests with the trial prosecutor," adding, "I respect that authority."
Asked again whether he saw any need to use the power of command after taking office, he repeated that it was "a matter for the prosecutor handling the trial to decide." He added, "Not only do I have no direct authority as justice minister to withdraw charges, I also have no intention of issuing instructions through the prosecutor general."
On his public calls as a lawmaker for the charges against Lee to be dropped, Kim said, "As a National Assembly member, I was conveying the public's position that the state must correct its own wrongdoing when an indictment has been fabricated through an illegal investigation."
Kim again argued that prosecutors' decision to suspend his indictment over the food and drug agency allegations was unjustified. "From 2021, prosecutors mobilized more than 10 prosecutors over three years and conducted an extremely intensive investigation, but the outcome was a decision not to indict," he said. "It is hard to see this as an improper solicitation, and there was nothing improper — no favors, no accommodations, no skipped procedures — in the clinical trial approval process."
"They should have cleared me outright, but instead they suspended the indictment on the grounds that I had explained how to make a contribution," he said. "I believe the suspended indictment is also unjustified, so I filed a constitutional appeal, and the Constitutional Court is currently reviewing the case."
Responding to criticism that he had defended sex crime cases on several occasions, Kim said, "The first was a case taken on by my law firm, and I was not substantively involved. The second involved the nephew of a close acquaintance, and that nephew was also a minor." He added, "I defended them in line with my long-held belief that it is better to give young people like that another chance."
Still, he said, "I humbly reflect on the parts that did not meet the public's expectations," adding, "I will work to further guarantee and expand the rights of socially vulnerable people, including people with disabilities, women and older adults."
On allegations of accounting "payback" practices at the party's Gyeonggi Province chapter, Kim said, "I was shocked myself when I received the tip-off," adding, "I asked the central party for an accounting audit, and I understand an investigation is underway under the relevant procedures."
Kim named the stable settlement of the new criminal justice system and the resolution of delays in case processing as his top priorities after taking office. "The new criminal justice system is taking effect for the first time in 70 years, and I have a strong sense of mission to bed it in without causing inconvenience to the public," he said. "Case processing keeps being delayed, and I will resolve this quickly as well to ease the burden on the public."
