The National Assembly is considering holding a hearing on PCL, which is accused of receiving preferential treatment with the approval of Covid-19 self-test kits.

On Thursday, lawmakers from the opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) demanded a hearing on PCL at a plenary session of the Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee.

PCL won approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) for its saliva-based Covid-19 self-test kit. However, three PCL officials, including CEO Kim So-youn, were adopted as witnesses for the parliament’s audit last month amid allegations of manipulating stock prices and clinical trials.

However, CEO Kim failed to appear as a witness for the audit, citing her overseas trip. Committee Chairman Park Joo-min (DPK) filed charges against Kim, former PCL executive director Kim In-kyu, and advisor and outside director Hwang Sung-yoon, a lawyer with Yoon & Yang.

“The MFDS requested an investigation in January following multiple reports that the contents of the kit's clinical trials were manipulated,” said Rep. Kang Sun-woo, another DPK lawmaker. “However, no action had been taken until October when the regulatory agency received the parliamentary audit.”

Kang proposed holding a separate hearing on PCL because “multiple agencies are involved.”

Rep. Lee Soo-jin of the same party also said, “In other standing committees, there have been cases of people traveling abroad to avoid testifying. Witness Kim was also supposed to appear as a testifier under an agreement between the ruling and opposition parties, but we haven’t resolved the suspicion satisfactorily.”

“Since Kim has already been adopted as a witness, we must hold a hearing to clarify what is wrong and illegal, including stock price manipulation or foreign clinical trials,” Lee added.

Committee Chairman Park said he would consider it after receiving a report from the Songpa Police Station’s chief investigating PCL.

“The case was transferred to Songpa Police Station after the Eastern District Prosecutors' Office requested an investigation on Jan. 3, but the witness left the country,” Rep. Park said. “The police chief was surprised when he said it to him. I will receive a report on the related development,” Park said.

Park continued, “The government requested the investigation because of a problem. If the investigation is not going well, this committee should take it seriously. Let’s discuss it again after receiving a report (from the police chief).”