President Lee: "Personnel Decisions Must Not Be Swayed by Personal Interests Under the Pretext of Prosecutorial Reform"

Lee Targets Ruling Party Hardliners Opposed to Kim Jiyong

"Prosecutorial Reform Is Not About Revenge or Destruction"

President Lee Jae-myung said on October 5, "No one should attempt to exert personal influence over personnel matters or concrete investigation and prosecution work under the pretext of prosecution reform."

On this day, President Lee wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "Prosecution reform is undertaken for the people, not to create political legacies for specific individuals." He added, "It is even more wrong for anyone to try to claim sole credit for achievements made through the collective effort of everyone by devaluing, or even disparaging, the efforts of others as useless or as an obstacle."

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

President Lee continued by saying, "Prosecution reform is not about taking revenge on the prosecution or destroying its functions. Instead, it aims to separate the investigation and prosecution functions so that neither is abused by those in power, while ensuring both work optimally." He further explained, "The government did not delay but, following agreements among the government and ruling party, moved more swiftly and thoroughly than any previous administration to achieve a complete separation of investigation and prosecution. In fact, we accomplished far more than initially envisioned, including separating affiliations from the ground up."

President Lee also stressed, "The Serious Crime Investigation Office will thoroughly investigate high-level corruption among public officials, economic crimes such as stock manipulation and collusion that bring tears to the eyes of ordinary citizens and disrupt economic order, and other white-collar crimes, without any bias towards political parties or factions." He added, "The Prosecution Office will, as a representative of the public interest, protect the human rights of the people in a fair and transparent manner, and carry out its duties involving indictment and prosecution maintenance."

Furthermore, President Lee noted, "The task of prosecution reform—separating investigation and prosecution—has now been institutionally completed by law, and what remains is to ensure its proper settlement and operation." He emphasized, "As I have always said, it is most important to distinguish public and private matters and to forgo self-interest in all public work, including state affairs."

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