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🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

Justice minister nominee had 24-year connection to judge who rejected drug lobby suspect’s arrest warrant

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Allegations say nominee Kim Seung-won brought Judge Jeong, who rejected an arrest warrant for a pharmaceutical company’s largest shareholder, to a gathering with a broker.
  • Kim and the judge served together as associate judges at the Jeonju District Court in 2002, and the judge was also reportedly acquainted with the broker.
  • Kim said there was no wrongdoing in the clinical approval process and said he does not plan to direct the prosecutor general over the withdrawal of charges in President Lee Jae-myung’s case.

A judge who rejected an arrest warrant for the largest shareholder of a new-drug developer had worked on the same panel as Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won 24 years ago, according to additional allegations surrounding a suspected COVID-19 drug lobby.

The judge, identified only by the surname Jeong, is also alleged to have been brought to a drinking gathering with businessman Yang, who acted as a broker by asking Kim to help obtain approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for a clinical trial. Jeong was the Seoul Western District Court judge handling the warrant hearing and rejected the arrest warrant for Kang, a former major shareholder in the drug company.

There was no wrongdoing in the clinical approval process.

· Kim Seung-wonKim denied wrongdoing as he arrived at his confirmation hearing preparation office.

Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon raised the matter on Facebook, saying the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office had allegedly asked the Supreme Court to exclude Jeong from warrant-related duties. Han questioned whether the request was connected to photographs showing Jeong with Kim and Yang, and text messages in which Kim allegedly invited Jeong to a drinking gathering with Yang.

The justice minister does not have the authority to withdraw an indictment directly. I do not currently plan to direct the prosecutor general.

· Kim Seung-wonKim addressed questions about withdrawing charges in a case involving President Lee Jae-myung.

The Hankyoreh reported that Kim and Jeong worked together as associate judges in a civil division of the Jeonju District Court in 2002. Jeong later reportedly became acquainted with Yang through Kim. Kim was booked on suspicion of asking then Food and Drug Safety Minister Kim Kang-lip to expedite approval of Kang’s pharmaceutical company clinical trial plan after Yang requested his help. Prosecutors gave Kim a deferred-indictment disposition in December 2024.

Kim told reporters as he arrived at his confirmation hearing preparation office in Seoul that “there was no wrongdoing in the clinical approval process.” Asked about withdrawing charges in a case involving President Lee Jae-myung, he said, “The justice minister does not have the authority to withdraw an indictment directly. I do not currently plan to direct the prosecutor general.”

Was it because photographs of Judge Jeong with nominee Kim and Yang, along with text messages in which Kim called Judge Jeong to a drinking gathering with Yang, emerged during the investigation?

· Han Dong-hoonHan raised questions about the alleged request to exclude the judge from warrant duties.
About this summary

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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