S. Korea justice nominee denies plan to drop Lee Jae-myung indictments

Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won denied any intention to cancel indictments against opposition leader Lee Jae-myung once in office, addressing a key political controversy. The denial aims to preempt criticism of politicized prosecutorial independence, but the nominee's past ties to the ruling bloc leave room for skepticism. This matters as it signals the government's sensitivity to judicial-impartiality concerns ahead of a contentious confirmation hearing.