South Korea justice minister nominee withdraws over Covid-19 drug trial scandal | South China Morning Post            (https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3368088/south-korea-justice-minister-nominee-withdraws-over-covid-19-drug-trial-scandal)                                (../../../../../static/manifest.json)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/favicon.ico)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/icons/scmp-icon-192x192.png)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/icons/scmp-icon-256x256.png)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/icons/scmp-icon-192x192.png)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/icons/scmp-icon-192x192.png)  (https://amp.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3368088/south-korea-justice-minister-nominee-withdraws-over-covid-19-drug-trial-scandal)  (https://apigw.scmp.com)  (https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com)  (https://cdn.i-scmp.com)  (https://img.i-scmp.com)  (https://cdn1.i-scmp.com)  (https://cdn2.i-scmp.com)  (https://cdn3.i-scmp.com)  (https://cdn4.i-scmp.com)  (https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com)  (https://ad-tech.scmp.com)  (https://c.amazon-adsystem.com)  (https://cdn.keywee.co)  (https://cdn.mouseflow.com)  (https://cdn.opecloud.com)  (https://cdn.petametrics.com)  (https://connect.facebook.com)  (https://fonts.gstatic.com)  (https://js-sec.indexww.com)  (https://securepubads.g.doubleclick.net)  (https://widgets.scmp.com)  (https://www.doubleclickbygoogle.com)  (https://www.facebook.com)  (https://www.google-analytics.com)  (https://www.googleadservices.com)  (https://www.google.com)  (https://www.googletagmanager.com)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/4a9777f1b0526d0c.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/024d37ad54557c14.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/127ae35205af64c7.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/bd5ebf0790610eb8.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/a070c9513bea1763.css)    (../../../../../../fonts.googleapis.com/icon@family=Material+Icons&display=swap.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/4a9777f1b0526d0c.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/024d37ad54557c14.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/127ae35205af64c7.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/bd5ebf0790610eb8.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/a070c9513bea1763.css)       (https://www.scmp.com/?module=masthead&pgtype=article)                                   Advertisement     (https://www.scmp.com/topics/south-korea?module=breadcrumb&pgtype=article) South Korea  (https://www.scmp.com/news/asia?module=breadcrumb&pgtype=article) Asia   (https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia?module=breadcrumb&pgtype=article) East Asia    South Korea justice minister nominee withdraws over Covid-19 drug trial scandal   Kim Seung-won, who has denied the allegations, says he does not want to add any burden to President Lee’s administration.       2-MIN READ 2-MIN                                 Listen            (Kim Seung-won takes an oath at the start of his parliamentary confirmation hearing at the National Assembly in Seoul on Tuesday. Photo: Yonhap / EPA)                    (https://www.scmp.com/author/korea-times) The Korea Times   Published: 11:17am, 19 Sep 2026     (https://www.scmp.com/topics/south-korea?module=inline&pgtype=article) () South Korea  ’s Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won withdrew his nomination on Saturday following allegations concerning his involvement in a Covid-19 treatment and approval of its clinical trials. “After much deliberation, I decided to step down as the nominee for minister of the justice ministry. I apologise for failing to live up to your expectations,” Kim said during a press conference at the National Assembly. Kim, who said he did not want to add any burden to (https://www.scmp.com/topics/lee-jae-myung?module=inline&pgtype=article) () Lee Jae Myung  ’s administration, criticised a conservative lawmaker who had accused him of lobbying regulators over a drug trial and of financial irregularities. Kim ⁠has denied the allegations.                                         Select Voice           Select Speed     (0.8)    0.8x  (0.9)    0.9x  (1)     1.0x  (1.1)    1.1x  (1.2)    1.2x  (1.5)    1.5x  (1.75)    1.75x      00:00 (0)  00:00             1x  AI-generated voice