Serious Crime Investigation Agency Chief Hearing Begins... Ruling Party Infighting Complicates Opposition's Calculations

Ruling Party Presses Nominee on Past Investigative and Prosecutorial Decisions
Opposition Attacks Appointment Confusion and Delay in Submitting Confirmation Hearing Request

A confirmation hearing for Kim Jiyong, nominee to become the first chief of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, began on Oct. 14. As a “pro-Yoon” debate has come to the fore within the ruling party, the People Power Party’s political calculations have grown more complicated. For the opposition, defending the nominee could lend support to the government’s personnel appointment, while joining the criticism could make it appear to endorse the position of a particular faction within the Democratic Party, making it difficult to determine how to direct its offensive.

At the confirmation hearing for Kim held that day by the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee, his past actions and political neutrality were among the main issues. Controversy over the nominee’s political leanings, raised within the Democratic Party, also continued during questioning.

Lawmakers from the Democratic Party and the Rebuilding Korea Party questioned the nominee about his role and judgment in politically contentious cases, including the case involving former senior prosecutor Jeong Jin-woong, who was accused of assault in the course of his official duties, and the illegal travel ban imposed on former Justice Minister Kim Hak-ui.

Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Kun-young said, “If the prosecution’s indictment was wrong, [even without the authority to approve it] he should have submitted a formal objection,” adding, “Opposing it only in your heart is not opposition.”

Rebuilding Korea Party lawmaker Jung Chun-saeng also asked, “Before you were nominated, did you ever speak out for prosecutorial reform or resist prosecutorial power?” and brought up past cases. She added, “I think you, too, have made it onto a page in the prosecution’s dark history.”

Kim Jiyong, nominee for chief of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, attends a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly on Oct. 14, 2026. Photo by Yoon Dongju.

The People Power Party’s political calculations are also complicated. With a “pro-Yoon” debate originating in ruling circles coming to the fore ahead of the hearing, the party has lost control of the issue, and defining its political stance has also become a challenge. The People Power Party is highlighting the responsibility of the government and ruling party by pointing to confusion surrounding the establishment of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency and the appointment process.

Rep. Kang Myung-gu, the People Power Party’s ranking member on the Public Administration and Security Committee, criticized the lengthy delay between the nominee’s appointment and the submission of the confirmation hearing request, saying, “I believe the National Assembly’s right to vet appointments has been infringed.” He said that while the government delayed submitting the request, citing the need for additional vetting, a debate unfolded within the ruling party, adding, “We, the committee members who are supposed to hold the confirmation hearing, really feel like fools.”

People Power Party chief spokesperson Park Chung-kwon criticized the process, saying, “Even more disheartening is the vacillating personnel policy of the Blue House and ruling circles.” He added, “As they manipulate appointments to head an independent agency to suit those in power, the political neutrality at the core of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency is already being seriously undermined before it even launches.”

At the hearing, disagreements within the ruling party over the nominee’s qualifications emerged as a key issue, while the opposition’s attacks appeared to be comparatively overshadowed. Observers also said that at the Public Administration and Security Committee’s parliamentary audit of Gyeonggi Province the previous day, differences in direction within the ruling party came to the fore, drawing attention to the clash between Democratic Party lawmakers and Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae rather than the opposition’s questioning.

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