Lee to Send Kim Ji-yong’s Confirmation Request to National Assembly Today... Faces Serious Crimes Agency Nomination Head-on

25 Days After the Nomination Proposal

Blue House: "No Change From Initial Vetting Results"

Direct Rebuttal to "Pro-Yoon Prosecutor" Allegations

Hardliners Within the Ruling Bloc Remain Opposed

Ruling Party: "Respect for Appoint

President Lee Jae-myung has approved the personnel hearing request for Kim Ji-yong, the inaugural nominee for Chief of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency. This decision was made because the alleged "pro-Yoon prosecutor" suspicions surrounding Kim were deemed false, and most of the other controversies were found to be insignificant. However, hardliners within the broader pro-government bloc continue to express opposition, leaving open the possibility that internal party conflict could reignite before or after the confirmation hearings.

President Lee Jae-myung is speaking at the Senior Secretary Meeting held at the Blue House on October 1, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News

Kang Yoo-jung, Chief Presidential Spokesperson, stated on this day, "President Lee approved the personnel hearing request for Kim Ji-yong, nominee for Chief of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, yesterday (October 1)." A Blue House official explained, "The National Assembly plans to receive the personnel hearing request approved by the President today." It has been 25 days since Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-jung recommended Kim for appointment on September 7. After the recommendation was made known, some within the ruling party claimed that Kim was a "pro-Yoon prosecutor," which led President Lee to order additional vetting and delayed the final approval.

President Lee directly countered the arguments made by hardliners in the ruling party on X (formerly Twitter), posting twice late at night on September 30 and early in the morning on October 1, immediately before the launch of the new agency. He stressed that Kim was promoted to chief prosecutor under former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae during the Moon Jae-in administration, ordered a re-investigation into the case involving former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's mother-in-law while serving as Director of the Criminal Department at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, and was effectively demoted as a "pro-Yoon opponent" after the start of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. President Lee went further, stating, "Refusing to appoint a qualified investigator simply because they are a former prosecutor would be tantamount to undermining the new agency."

The Blue House's public relations team also joined in the response. Seong Ki-hong, Senior Presidential Secretary for Public Communications, stated at a briefing the previous day, "There is no change in the results from our initial vetting," and added, "Some of the suspicions raised are baseless or only speculative." He particularly emphasized, "Not every prosecutor is a bad prosecutor," arguing that excluding all former prosecutors from key national posts is "less a reform than a form of destruction under the guise of reform." He said the main criteria for the appointment were the nominee's investigation expertise and leadership, which are essential for establishing the agency early on.

Within the Democratic Party, there were mixed opinions regarding the recommendation of Kim as nominee. The party leadership stated it intends to scrutinize Kim's past conduct and commitment to reform during the confirmation hearing. In contrast, Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae and Assemblyman Kim Yong-min continued to oppose the nomination. Assemblyman Yoon Kun-young of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee commented on the YouTube program "Gim Eo-Jun's Humility Is Tough – News Factory," "The Blue House says it has re-vetted and recommended the nominee, so the President's appointment power should be respected. Still, at the hearing, we intend to examine his career path carefully."

Yonhap News

The Blue House directly addressed the party hardliners opposing Kim's nomination, stating that "all discussions should be based on objective facts." Seong Ki-hong, Senior Presidential Secretary for Public Communications, said in an appearance on SBS Radio on this day, "I believe it is possible to criticize or comment politically on any issue, but it must fundamentally be based on facts." This indirectly criticized the allegations raised by Governor Choo and Assemblyman Park as inconsistent with the facts.

Having chosen to confront the issue head-on after extensive consideration, President Lee also underscored the importance of preventing a vacuum in the judicial system following the launch of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the Prosecutorial Office. During the Senior Secretary Meeting the previous day, President Lee stated, "The era in which the prosecution monopolized investigations and indictments, wielding unchecked power, is ending," but emphasized that, "as the new system is established, maximum efforts must be made to ensure that there are no gaps in investigative ability, fairness, or victim protection."

The People Power Party, which had previously criticized the nominee, also vowed thorough vetting of his qualifications. Assemblyman Kang Myung-gu, opposition executive secretary of the Public Administration and Security Committee, stated, "If ruling party hardliners believe they will scrutinize the nominee more thoroughly while opposition lawmakers simply overlook, they are mistaken. Just because the confirmation hearing has not yet been held doesn't mean we have nothing to ask—there are many issues to address."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.