(LEAD) Justice minister nominee denies intention to cancel indictments against Lee once in office

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(ATTN: ADDS Kim's response to lobbying allegations in last 5 paras)

SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Yonhap) -- Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won on Thursday denied any intention to order the withdrawal of indictments against President Lee Jae Myung if he takes office, saying the position has no direct authority over such matters.

Kim, a lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), has faced criticism from the main opposition People Power Party over his involvement in a group of DP lawmakers calling for dropping Lee's criminal indictments.

"The justice minister has no direct authority and I have no intent to issue orders through the prosecutor general," Kim told reporters when asked about the issue. "Prosecutors have the authority over maintaining indictments in individual cases, so I will respect that."

Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won (C) speaks to reporters as he arrives at his office in central Seoul on Sept. 3, 2026, to prepare for his parliamentary confirmation hearing. (Yonhap)

He explained his involvement in the group was intended to convey the public's stance to correct wrongs in cases brought by the state through "illegal" investigations.

Kim has called for cancelling Lee's indictments, claiming they were brought by politically motivated prosecutors.

Lee had faced multiple criminal trials before his presidential election in June last year. The trials have been postponed as sitting presidents are exempt from criminal prosecution except in the case of insurrection or treason.

The cases are related to charges of making false statements ahead of the 2022 presidential election, corruption related to a development project undertaken during his time as Seongnam mayor, embezzlement of provincial funds during his time as Gyeonggi governor and subornation of perjury.

Additionally, Kim addressed allegations of lobbying for a COVID-19 medication in 2021.

Prosecutors earlier deferred indicting Kim over allegations of asking the then food and drug safety minister to expedite proceedings for the medication's approval.

The prosecution closed the case with a suspension of indictment after determining Kim's request could not be definitively characterized as illegal solicitation.

"It was a request during the COVID-19 pandemic to examine a small domestic company's clinical trial proceedings so that they wouldn't be unfairly delayed," Kim's confirmation hearing preparation team said in a press notice.

The team described his actions as simply delivering a public interest grievance, adding that he did not receive any political donation or valuables in return.

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr (END)

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(LEAD) Justice minister nominee denies intention to cancel indictments against Lee once in office

这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章。

（注意：最后5段补充了金对游说指控的回应）

首尔，9月3日（韩联社）——法务部长官提名人金承元周四否认，如果他上任，将有意下令撤销对总统李在明的起诉，称该职位对此类事项没有直接权力。

执政党共同民主党（DP）议员金某因参与一群呼吁撤销对李某的刑事指控的共同民主党议员而受到主要反对党国民力量党的批评。

当被问及此事时，金正日告诉记者：“法务部长没有直接权力，我也无意通过检察长下达命令。检察官有权在个案中维持起诉，我会尊重这一点。”

2026年9月3日，韩国法务部长官提名人金承元（中）抵达首尔市中心办公室，准备参加国会确认听证会，并在抵达时接受记者采访。（韩联社）

他解释说，他参与该组织的目的是为了传达公众的立场，纠正国家通过“非法”调查提起的案件中的错误。

金呼吁取消对李的起诉，声称这些起诉是由出于政治动机的检察官提出的。

李在去年6月当选总统前曾面临多项刑事审判。由于在任总统除叛国或暴乱罪外享有刑事豁免权，这些审判已被推迟。

这些案件与他在 2022 年总统选举前发表虚假声明的指控、在他担任城南市市长期间参与的一项发展项目涉及的腐败指控、在他担任京畿道知事期间挪用省级资金的指控以及教唆伪证的指控有关。

此外，金还回应了有关她在 2021 年游说研发新冠肺炎药物的指控。

此前，检方暂缓起诉金某，指控其要求当时的食品药品安全部长加快该药物的审批程序。

检方认定金某的请求不能明确定性为非法索要，因此中止了起诉，结案。

金的确认听证会准备团队在一份新闻稿中表示：“这是在新冠疫情期间提出的请求，目的是审查一家小型国内公司的临床试验程序，以免这些程序被不公平地拖延。”

该团队称他的行为只是表达了公众的利益诉求，并补充说他没有收到任何政治捐款或贵重物品作为回报。

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr (完)

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