Choo Miae: "Kim Ji-yong Is a 'Pro-Yoon' Prosecutor, Unfit to Head the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency; Vet Him Properly"

Choo: "Kim joined collective action opposing disciplinary action against Yoon"
"He also took part in a press conference opposing prosecutorial reform"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Miae has described Kim Jiyong, a candidate to head the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, as a “pro-Yoon Suk Yeol prosecutor” and called for a vetting of his nomination.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Miae. Yonhap News

In a post on social media on the night of October 7, Choo cited three reasons Kim was unqualified: taking part in a collective action by prosecutors who opposed disciplinary action against then-Prosecutor General Yoon Suk Yeol while Kim was deputy chief prosecutor at the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office; participating in a press conference opposing prosecutorial reform while serving as head of the Criminal Affairs Department at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office; and allegations that he signed off on the indictment of prosecutor Jung Jin-woong while serving as deputy chief prosecutor at the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office.

Some have argued that Kim is not a pro-Yoon prosecutor because he was promoted to the rank of chief prosecutor in August 2020, when Choo was serving as justice minister. In response, she said, “Whether someone is a pro-Yoon prosecutor is not determined by when they were promoted to chief prosecutor, but by whether they later acted to shield Yoon Suk Yeol.”

She added, “All the pro-Yoon prosecutors who signed a petition opposing disciplinary action against Yoon Suk Yeol were promoted to chief prosecutor under the Moon Jae-in administration,” and said, “There is no connection between being promoted to chief prosecutor under Minister Choo Miae and being a pro-Yoon prosecutor.”

Regarding disciplinary action against Yoon, she claimed, “To shield Yoon Suk Yeol, prosecutors at the rank of chief prosecutor, including Kim Jiyong, then deputy chief prosecutor at the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office, took collective action and defied orders.” She explained that the action was taken because Yoon had committed serious misconduct, including interfering with the investigation and inspection of the Channel A case and surveilling judges.

She also took issue with Kim’s participation in a press conference opposing prosecutorial reform while he was head of the Criminal Affairs Department at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office. “He joined senior officials at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in calling a press conference to publicly condemn and oppose the Moon Jae-in administration’s prosecutorial reform,” she said. “Now he has changed his position and says he supports prosecutorial reform to advance his career.”

She also raised questions about the approval of Jung Jin-woong’s indictment. She said that while Kim was deputy chief prosecutor at the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office, he signed off on the indictment of Jung, who investigated then-chief prosecutor Han Dong-hoon in connection with the Channel A case.

“The candidate must disclose whether he stamped his approval on the indictment of Jung Jin-woong, which she called unjust,” Choo said. “If he did not sign off on it, he should say so. If he stamped his approval, he must take responsibility.”

She also challenged the argument that Kim’s investigative abilities make him the right person to lead the agency. Citing the final acquittals in both the case involving Jung Jin-woong’s alleged assault while on duty and the case involving the travel ban on Kim Hak-ui, imposed when Lee Kwang-cheol was a senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, she asked, “Does it make sense to bestow the first and highest laurel in the history of appointments to an investigative agency on someone who must share responsibility for those acquittals?”

“The public is watching. Let’s conduct a proper vetting,” she said, urging the National Assembly to thoroughly review the appointment.

This is the seventh time Choo has voiced opposition to Kim’s nomination.

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