Police launch probe into complaint alleging justice minister nominee lobbied for drugmaker

Police have launched a fresh investigation into a complaint alleging that Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won improperly lobbied on behalf of a drug company seeking approval for a new drug.

The Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul questioned former Seoul Metropolitan Council member Lee Jong-bae, who filed the complaint, starting at 10:30 a.m. Friday. Lee had filed the complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Sept. 4, accusing Kim of violating the anti-graft law and abusing his authority.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency assigned the case to the Yeongdeungpo Police Station on Sept. 8. The station completed a legal review of the complaint and began its formal investigation Friday. On Saturday, it plans to question a second complainant, Kim Soon-hwan, secretary-general of the Council for Livelihood Measures for Ordinary Citizens.

Kim, who was a sitting National Assembly member at the time, is accused of asking then-Ministry of Food and Drug Safety Commissioner Kim Kang-lip in 2021 to expedite approval of a clinical trial plan for a COVID-19 treatment developed by Genencell, a natural-product pharmaceutical firm, at the request of the company's chief executive, surnamed Kang, relayed through a businessman surnamed Yang.

According to prosecutors' indictment records, Yang asked nominee Kim for help on Oct. 7, 2021, saying approval of Genencell's clinical trial for its COVID-19 treatment was being delayed. The next day, Yang again asked Kim to speak with then-Commissioner Kim Kang-lip, and nominee Kim reportedly replied, "OK."

On Oct. 12, 2021, nominee Kim reportedly asked the then-commissioner to "please look after" the clinical trial approval application related to Genencell's COVID-19 treatment.

After Yang gave him the names of the relevant Ministry of Food and Drug Safety departments, nominee Kim reportedly sent the then-commissioner a text message naming the Natural Products Division, the Clinical Trial Policy Division and a statistical analysis team, saying, "I ask that the staff in charge handle this a bit quickly."

Genencell applied on Sept. 23, 2021, for approval of a domestic phase 2/3 clinical trial for its COVID-19 treatment candidate ES16001. On Sept. 30, the ministry requested supplementary data on 14 items, including detailed supporting evidence from the drug's clinical trial results in India. Genencell submitted its final supplementary materials on Oct. 18, and the ministry approved the clinical trial plan on Oct. 26.

Former council member Lee said it must be confirmed whether Kim's request influenced the approval process for Genencell's clinical trial. In a statement released ahead of Friday's questioning, Lee said, "Nominee Kim named the company and specified the department, asking that it be handled quickly. There is no way to view this other than as an order to the working-level staff to rush the approval through."

Lee added, "Given that the clinical trial plan, which had not been approved as of Sept. 30, sailed through swiftly after nominee Kim personally intervened, we cannot rule out the possibility that the working-level staff at the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety effectively skipped procedures or failed to request necessary materials, neglecting their duties in the substantive review."

Lee particularly pointed to the fact that Genencell CEO Kang stood trial on charges including submitting fabricated animal testing data during the clinical trial approval process, saying the ministry's review process itself also needs to be examined.

"The most important thing is to determine why the ministry failed to filter out the false and fabricated documents, and what external pressure was involved in that process," Lee said. "A thorough investigation is needed into how nominee Kim's request functioned as pressure."

Lee also cited data submitted to People Power Party lawmaker Kim Tae-kyu by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, saying that while all 35 data requests nominee Kim's office made to the ministry between 2020 and August of this year were made through official documents, the request related to Genencell's clinical trial approval was not included in that list of official documents.

Earlier, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Koh Beom-seok said at a regular press briefing on Sept. 8 that police were reviewing whether they could reopen the investigation into the allegations against nominee Kim, a case prosecutors had suspended indictment on in December 2024.

Prosecutors suspended indictment in the case once, in December 2024. Unlike a final court ruling, a suspended indictment does not carry legal force that would bar a renewed investigation.