President Lee Jae-myung said on the 2nd that it is "hard to conclude, at the very least, that he is pro-Yoon" when asked about controversy within the ruling bloc over Kim Ji-yong, the nominee to head the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency. The remarks came a day after the presidential office rebutted allegations surrounding Kim and sent a request for a parliamentary confirmation hearing to the National Assembly, with the president himself stepping in to again distance the nominee from claims of ties to former President Yoon Suk-yeol.
Lee made the comments on X, formerly Twitter, while sharing a post that criticized him for being favorably disposed toward pro-Yoon prosecutors. "Worldly affairs are not that one-dimensional. They are generally very complex," Lee said. "That is especially true of assessments of people."
He then pointed to Kim's order for a reinvestigation into a case in which Yoon's mother-in-law had been cleared of instigating perjury. "Given that he was demoted by former President Yoon and effectively pushed out of the prosecution service, isn't it hard to conclude that he is pro-Yoon?" Lee said. "I cannot say he is a 100% flawless candidate, but he does not appear to be someone who warrants ignoring a public recommendation, the shortlisting of four candidates by an independent recommendation committee and the nomination by the interior minister, and stripping the National Assembly of its chance to hold a hearing."
Lee also said that "based on the results of a lengthy additional vetting and the judgment that he was the best of the four candidates shortlisted by the recommendation committee, it was not appropriate to request a renomination either." He added, "I will decide on the final appointment after the National Assembly hearing is held."
He also made clear that the appointment is not something the president can make at his own discretion. "Under the law, it goes through a complex and strict set of procedures and requirements — a public recommendation, the shortlisting of four candidates by the recommendation committee, the nomination by the interior ministry and a parliamentary hearing," Lee said, asking the public to "watch the outcome of the hearing together with me."
Lee approved the request for Kim's confirmation hearing a day earlier. The presidential office conducted additional vetting after criticism emerged from parts of the ruling bloc over appointing a former prosecutor to lead the agency. In a subsequent briefing, it rebutted five points of contention — allegations that he is a pro-Yoon prosecutor, his participation in a statement calling for reconsideration of disciplinary action against Yoon when Yoon was prosecutor general, allegations related to the indictment of former prosecutor Jung Jin-woung over abuse of authority, whether he was involved in the indictment in the case of former Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-eui, and claims that he refused a forensic examination in the Channel A case — and laid out the grounds for keeping the nomination in place.
The presidential office again stressed the legitimacy of retaining the nomination the following day. Sung Ki-hong, senior presidential secretary for public communication, appearing on SBS Radio, took issue with hardline lawmakers within the party who have leveled criticism at Kim with phrases such as "anti-national traitor committee" and "we were fooled by a highly rated restaurant." "Criticism or commentary must fundamentally be based on facts," Sung said. He added that the presidential office "once again carefully vetted the allegations raised in some quarters after the interior minister's nomination," and said, "On examination, the political claim that nominee Kim is a pro-Yoon prosecutor is entirely untrue."
"Now that the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency formally launched on the 2nd without a chief in place, the wasteful controversy must be brought to a swift end and the framework of a new criminal justice system must be built," he said. "We are asking that a candidate without flaws go through the National Assembly confirmation hearing process."
