Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won withdrew from his nomination Friday, 20 days after being tapped for the post, saying he did not want controversy surrounding him to become a burden on the Lee Jae Myung administration.
“After deep consideration, I have decided to step down as nominee for justice minister,” said Kim at a press conference at the National Assembly, Saturday. “I take seriously that I have fallen short of the public’s expectations and will deeply reflect on my shortcomings.”
Kim said he finalized his decision after watching Lee’s press conference Friday.
“The people’s livelihoods and the success of the government must come first,” he said. “I believed I should not add further burden to a government that must take care of people’s livelihoods and complete its reform agenda.”
During Friday’s press conference, Lee said he had not yet reached a final decision on Kim’s appointment and would carefully consider the nominee’s qualifications as well as “the public’s expectations.”
Kim’s withdrawal also came two days after the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee adopted his confirmation hearing report. The hearing had been dominated by criticism from the opposition People Power Party over a series of allegations, including claims that he relayed a request to drug authorities in October 2021 to expedite approval of a clinical trial for Genencell’s COVID-19 treatment, as well as allegations of preferential treatment involving a social cooperative for people with developmental disabilities where members of his family had worked. Kim also faced criticism over a past drunk-driving conviction.
During his press conference, Kim apologized for failing to meet public expectations and expressed sympathy to people with disabilities, their families and workers in the care sector who he said had been hurt by the controversy.
Kim, however, maintained that he would continue challenging allegations he says were “unfairly raised” against him.
“Even though I am stepping down now, I will not give up on the truth,” he said, pledging to continue pursuing prosecutorial reform.
Kim also vowed to continue challenging what he described as a politically motivated investigation into the Genencell case, accusing former President Yoon Suk Yeol and independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon of politically motivated investigations. He separately accused independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon of illegally obtaining and selectively presenting internal prosecution records related to the case.
Kim added the controversy itself demonstrated what he sees as the need for further prosecutorial reform.
“I will work for the people with a humbler attitude and do my utmost for the success of the Lee Jae Myung government,” he said.
lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com
