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

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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.

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr (END)

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

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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。

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr (完)

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