President Lee: "The opposition is against a special inspector general, you say? ... We should appoint one anyway"

President Lee Jae Myung holds tea time at Chunchugwan on Oct. 19
"I repeatedly called for a swift appointment, but the opposition is against it"
Asked about delays in appointing agency heads, including the police chief
"The pool of candidates is

President Lee Jae Myung said on Monday, “I have repeatedly asked that a special inspector be appointed quickly, but the opposition party is against it,” adding, “Still, I think we should go ahead with it.”

Lee made the remarks after reporters asked him at Chunchugwan that day about the delay in appointing a special inspector.

President Lee Jae Myung speaks with reporters in the lobby of Chunchugwan, the press corps' workspace at Cheong Wa Dae, on Oct. 19, 2026. Yonhap News Agency

“I understand that Choi Gilsu, the candidate for special inspector, was previously recommended by the opposition. I believe he was a candidate recommended by the Bareunmirae Party,” Lee said. “There is not much of an issue, and I am not going to do anything wrong. I believe the appointment is necessary.”

He added, “I had wondered whether we really needed to proceed when the opposition was against it, but despite that, I asked officials to look into whether there was a way to make the appointment.”

The ruling and opposition parties held a confirmation hearing last month for Choi, the candidate for special inspector, but the hearing report has yet to be adopted, nearly a month later. The ruling party says the opposition has stated that it would not agree to adopting the report, while the opposition maintains that it can be processed with its opinion that Choi is unqualified included.

Asked why appointments to agency chief positions, including the commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, were taking so long, Lee said, “The personnel situation has been significantly distorted. There have also been consequences for the insurrection, so the pool of available candidates is limited in some respects.” He added, “It will be resolved soon.”

“People may have different views on what to prioritize when making appointments,” Lee said. “It is true that individual appointments are not easy. I think this is the most difficult part.”

Lee noted, “I also need to make appointments, including that of the minister of justice, in addition to the commissioner of the National Tax Service. So, although it may seem to you that the process is taking a long time, I am doing my best to find the right people.”

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