Justice minister nominee's withdrawal deals blow to president, ruling party

Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won withdrew in Seoul on Saturday, dealing a setback to President Lee Jae Myung and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. His exit came 20 days after his nomination, after controversy over allegations including help for a pharmaceutical company’s COVID-19 clinical drug trial approval. The withdrawal also deepens questions over the administration’s personnel vetting and leaves the justice ministry without leadership ahead of October prosecution reform.

Kim Seung-won withdrew after the National Assembly had already approved his nomination.

The controversy included allegations that he used his influence as a lawmaker in 2021 to help a pharmaceutical company obtain regulatory approval for a COVID-19 clinical drug trial.

Kim became the fifth ministerial nominee to fail to take office since the Lee administration began in June 2025.

The government plans a major overhaul of the criminal justice system in October, including abolishing the existing prosecution service and separating investigative and indictment powers.

Published Sep 20, 2026 3:07 pm KST

President admits flaws in personnel system

Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won leaves the National Assembly in Seoul, Saturday, after announcing his withdrawal from nomination for the post. Yonhap

Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won's withdrawal from candidacy is expected to deal another setback to President Lee Jae Myung and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), as they are already struggling with declining public support.

Kim stepped down Saturday, 20 days after his nomination, following controversy over several allegations — including that he used his influence as a lawmaker in 2021 to help a pharmaceutical company get regulatory approval for a COVID-19 clinical drug trial. He withdrew even after the National Assembly approved his nomination.

While Kim’s withdrawal eased the immediate pressure on Lee over the appointment, it reinforced concerns over shortcomings in the administration’s personnel vetting system.

Kim’s departure also leaves the justice ministry without leadership at a critical time, with pressing tasks piling up ahead of a major overhaul of the criminal justice system, scheduled to take place in October as part of Lee’s signature prosecution reform drive.

For the ruling party, Kim’s departure highlighted its political misjudgment. DPK lawmakers strongly defended his nomination and pushed through the adoption of his confirmation hearing report despite mounting criticism, raising questions over its ability to read public sentiment and convey it to the presidential office.

“The controversy has exposed weaknesses in how the presidential office selects and screens candidates, while the DPK may also face criticism for failing to recognize growing public unease over the nominee,” Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University, said.

Kim was the second minister nominee to drop out in less than a week, after Gender Equality and Family Minister nominee Yong Hye-in withdrew from nomination on Sept. 13 amid questions over her eligibility for the post.

Kim also became the fifth ministerial nominee to fail to take office since the Lee administration began in June 2025.

The president acknowledged flaws in the administration’s personnel vetting process. “In exercising all state power including personnel affairs, I'll respect the opinion of the people, who hold sovereign power. I'll take this as an opportunity to review the personnel system,” Lee said during a press conference at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Friday.

The justice minister nominee's withdrawal also bears more significance than just the absence of a Cabinet member, coming at a crucial stage of Lee’s sweeping overhaul of the criminal justice system.

The existing prosecution service is set to be abolished in October, as the government moves to separate investigative and indictment powers — a central goal of Lee’s prosecution reform agenda.

Although much of the legislative groundwork for reform has already been completed, substantial work remains at the administrative level, including reorganizing the prosecution system, drawing up subordinate regulations and coordinating responsibilities among agencies before the new system takes effect.

“Under the circumstances, Kim’s departure sends the search for a new minister back to square one and raises the possibility of a prolonged leadership vacuum,” Jung Jae-hwan, a political science professor at Inha University, said.

The DPK is also facing questions over its judgment, as party leaders made comments defending Kim, which led to an increase in public sentiment against the nominee. At the peak of the controversy, DPK Chairman Kim Min-seok said, "While I learn more and more about him, I find he is the best fit [for the post]," and, "We will protect him."

The party also used its majority position in the Assembly to adopt his confirmation hearing report Thursday. Kim stepped aside just two days later, raising questions over why the ruling party backed him until the final stages of his nomination.

“The party’s handling of Kim showed that it focused on defending the administration’s choice rather than responding to growing concerns surrounding the nominee,” Shin said.

韩国司法部长官提名人金承元周六在首尔宣布退出，这对总统李在明和执政的共同民主党来说都是一次挫败。他被提名仅20天后便退出，此前他因涉嫌协助一家制药公司获得新冠肺炎临床试验药物审批等指控而备受争议。此次退出也加剧了人们对政府人事审查机制的质疑，并使司法部在10月检控改革前夕群龙无首。

金承元在国会已经批准其提名后退出竞选。

这场争议包括指控他于 2021 年利用其作为立法者的影响力，帮助一家制药公司获得 COVID-19 临床药物试验的监管批准。

金是自李明博政府于2025年6月上任以来第五位未能就职的部长级提名人。

政府计划在10月份对刑事司法系统进行重大改革，包括废除现有的检察机关，并将调查权和起诉权分开。

发布于2026年9月20日下午3:07（韩国标准时间）

总统承认人事制度存在缺陷

周六，法务部长官提名人金承元在宣布退出该职位提名后离开首尔国会。（韩联社）

司法部长候选人金承元退出竞选预计将给总统李在明和执政的韩国共同民主党带来又一次挫折，因为他们已经面临着民众支持率下降的困境。

金在被提名20天后，于周六宣布辞职。此前，他因多项指控而备受争议，其中包括他被指控在2021年利用其议员影响力帮助一家制药公司获得新冠肺炎临床试验药物的监管批准。尽管国会已批准了他的提名，但他还是撤回了提名。

虽然金的退出暂时缓解了李在任命问题上面临的压力，但也加剧了人们对政府人事审查制度缺陷的担忧。

金的离职也使司法部在关键时刻群龙无首，在刑事司法系统进行重大改革之前，还有许多紧迫的任务堆积如山。此次改革是李在镕标志性的检察改革举措的一部分，计划于 10 月份进行。

对执政党而言，金正恩的离任凸显了其政治判断的失误。尽管批评声浪日益高涨，朝鲜民主主义人民党议员仍极力捍卫其提名，并强行通过了确认听证报告，这引发了人们对该党能否准确把握民意并将其传达至总统府的质疑。

“这场争议​​暴露了总统府在遴选和筛选候选人方面的不足，而民主党也可能因未能意识到公众对候选人日益增长的不安情绪而受到批评，”明知大学政治学教授申烈表示。

金是不到一周内第二位退出提名的部长候选人。此前，性别平等和家庭部长候选人杨惠仁于9月13日因对其任职资格的质疑而退出提名。

金也成为自李明博政府于 2025 年 6 月上任以来第五位未能就职的部长级提名人。

总统承认政府人事审查程序存在缺陷。李明博周五在首尔青瓦台举行的新闻发布会上表示：“在行使包括人事在内的所有国家权力时，我将尊重拥有主权的人民的意见。我将以此为契机，审查人事制度。”

司法部长提名人的退出，其意义不仅仅在于内阁成员的缺席，更在于李显龙对刑事司法系统进行全面改革的关键阶段。

现有的检控部门将于 10 月被废除，政府将调查权和起诉权分开——这是李显龙检控改革议程的核心目标。

虽然改革的大部分立法基础工作已经完成，但在新制度生效之前，行政层面仍有大量工作要做，包括重组检察机关、制定下属规章制度以及协调各机构之间的职责。

“在这种情况下，金正恩的离任使寻找新部长的工作又回到了原点，并增加了领导层长期真空的可能性，”仁荷大学政治学教授郑在焕说。

共同民主党也因其判断力而面临质疑，因为该党领导人发表的维护金正日的言论导致公众对这位候选人的反对情绪加剧。在争议最激烈的时候，共同民主党委员长金珉锡表示：“我对他的了解越多，就越觉得他是最适合这个职位的人选”，并且“我们会保护他”。

该党还利用其在国会的多数席位，于周四通过了金正恩的任命确认听证会报告。然而，仅仅两天后，金正恩便宣布退出，这引发了人们的质疑：执政党为何在他提名的最后阶段仍支持他？

申表示：“该党对金正恩的处理方式表明，它关注的是捍卫政府的选择，而不是回应围绕这位候选人的日益增长的担忧。”