Controversies jeopardize confirmation prospects for Lee's Cabinet nominees

Two minister nominees are facing mounting questions over whether they can survive their confirmation hearings, as a series of controversies and corruption allegations have drawn growing public criticism.

If even one of them fails to pass the hearing or steps down from the nomination, it will deal a blow to President Lee Jae Myung, who hoped the Cabinet reshuffle would help him regain momentum for his policies amid falling approval ratings.

Lee nominated Kim Seung-won, a two-term lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and a former judge, as his next justice minister, to oversee follow-up measures for reforms related to the prosecution and new criminal justice system, which are set to take effect Oct. 2.

Kim, however, has come under intensifying scrutiny over allegations that he improperly used his influence as a lawmaker in October 2021 to help a pharmaceutical company obtain approval for a COVID-19 drug trial.

He allegedly received a request from a broker with ties to Genencell to help speed up the approval process, after which he contacted the head of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety about the company's application.

The clinical trial was approved about two weeks later, roughly half the usual approval period for COVID-19 drug trials at the time.

Prosecutors investigated Kim over the matter, but in December 2024 they decided to suspend indictment after confirming Kim's contact with the ministry chief but failing to establish if he received any bribes in return.

Kim has maintained that he did nothing illegal, saying he merely relayed a legitimate public complaint and did not ask regulators to give the company preferential treatment.

That defense, however, is facing fresh scrutiny after newly disclosed recordings and messages raised questions about his relationship with the broker and the nature of her requests on behalf of the company.

Questions have also grown because Genencell was later found to have submitted fabricated experiment results during the approval process. Its founder was convicted over the misconduct, although there is no evidence that Kim knew about the falsified material.

“The situation has put Kim in an awkward position, as he seeks to become the minister responsible for follow-up work on prosecution reform while facing calls from the public for prosecutors to unsuspend his indictment in light of newly disclosed evidence,” said Jung Jae-hwan, a political science professor at Inha University.

Conservative civic groups have filed new criminal complaints against him, and the previous decision to suspend his indictment could be revisited if significant new evidence is uncovered.

“Any renewed investigation into Kim could raise questions over his credibility in overseeing criminal justice reform aimed at strengthening the fairness and accountability of investigations and prosecutions,” Jung said.

Gender Equality and Family Minister nominee Yong Hye-in, meanwhile, is facing criticism over her intention to serve as minister while retaining her proportional representation seat in the National Assembly.

Although lawmakers are legally permitted to serve concurrently as Cabinet ministers, proportional representation lawmakers have customarily given up their seats upon joining the Cabinet because their seats can be immediately filled by the next candidate on their party list. However, the Basic Income Party has no one else on the list, meaning that giving up her seat would leave the minor progressive party with no representation in the National Assembly.

She herself asked the public to understand the situation facing minor parties, arguing that retaining her seat would allow the party to continue receiving government subsidies.

However, the public has shown little sympathy to this argument, as Yong herself called for abolishing state subsidies for political parties six years ago, taking aim at parties relying on such funding.

She was also critical of a previous Cabinet member for "clinging" to her position. During a 2022 parliamentary audit, she criticized then-Gender Equality Minister Kim Hyun-sook who appeared reluctant to give up her post if the ministry was abolished, saying it was “pitiful” to see her cling to the position.

In addition, questions have been raised over a conflict of interest, as Yong's husband holds a senior position in the Basic Income Party and has received about 124 million won ($91,880) in salary from the party over the past five years.

“Unlike with Kim's case, signs have emerged that the DPK is increasingly reluctant to publicly defend Yong, with some DPK lawmakers suggesting that it may be time for her to make her own decision on whether to remain a nominee,” Jung said.

The controversies seem to be affecting President Lee, whose approval ratings have continued to decline for weeks, repeatedly hitting new lows since he took office in June 2025.

In a weekly Gallup Korea poll released on Friday, 51 percent of 1,001 adults said they disapprove of Lee's performance, up from 45 percent a week before. Among them, 9 percent cited personnel nomination issues as the reason, up sharply from 1 percent.

The survey was conducted Sept. 1 to 3 through telephone interviews using randomly selected mobile phone numbers. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level and a response rate of 10.9 percent. Visit the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission for more details.