President Lee Explains Kim Ji-yong's Alleged Pro-Yoon Ties for Third Day: "Final Appointment to Follow Hearing"

"No Reason to Deprive the Assembly of Its Hearing Opportunity"

President Lee Jae-myung stated on October 2 regarding Kim Ji-yong, the nominee for Director of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, "At the very least, it would be difficult to definitively conclude that he is pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Suk-yeol)."

President Lee also wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account that day, "There are various positive and negative factors in determining whether Kim Ji-yong is pro-Yoon or not," adding, "Kim was effectively demoted and pushed out of the prosecution by President Yoon Suk-yeol after ordering a reinvestigation into the case involving the President's mother-in-law's acquittal on charges of instigating perjury."

President Lee Jae-myung is delivering a congratulatory speech at the 30th Senior Citizens' Day ceremony held at a hotel in Seoul on October 2, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News

He continued, "While I cannot say he is a 100 percent perfect nominee, I do not believe there is any reason to the extent that the National Assembly should be deprived of its hearing opportunity by disregarding the four candidates shortlisted by the independent recommendation committee and the nomination submitted by the Minister of the Interior and Safety." He added, "Moreover, considering the long, additional vetting process and the fact that Kim was considered the most qualified of the four candidates by the recommendation committee, it was not appropriate to refuse his nomination again."

President Lee stated, "I will decide on the final appointment after the National Assembly hearing," proposing, "Since the President does not make appointments arbitrarily, but rather in accordance with the complex and rigorous procedures and requirements stipulated by law, why don't we wait for the results of the hearing together?"

Earlier, ahead of the launch of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, on the night of September 30 and the early morning of October 1, President Lee explained on X that Kim is not a so-called 'pro-Yoon' prosecutor and that other controversial claims are also untrue. He pointed out, "If such arguments are based on falsehoods, they are slander, not criticism."

On October 1, President Lee approved the personnel hearing request for Kim. This came 25 days after Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-jung nominated Kim for the position on September 7.

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