Blue House: "The Perception That the President Will Direct Investigations Is Highly Regrettable... He Will Not Direct Specific Cases"

Reports question attendance of Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and Prosecution Office chiefs at Cabinet meetings

“Spreading a false perception... Highly regrettable and distorted”

Cheong Wa Dae criticized media reports raising concerns about investigative agencies attending Cabinet meetings, calling them “highly regrettable and distorted” for spreading the false perception that “the president will direct investigations into individual cases.” It added, “We make clear that the Cabinet will not address directing investigations or prosecutions in specific individual cases in any way.”

At a briefing with reporters at Chunchugwan on Oct. 22, Senior Presidential Secretary for Public Communication Sung Ki-hong said, “Generally, directing an investigation means telling investigators specifically what to do in an individual case, doesn’t it?” He stressed, “Just as the president has not given specific instructions to ministers with authority over permits or patents, the president will not direct investigations into specific cases.” Sung added, “We are making firm efforts to uphold the fairness and political neutrality of investigations and the independence of prosecutorial decisions, and these principles will not waver going forward.”

Sung also asked, “The president has said that, when it comes to serious crimes that destroy people’s lives and disrupt social order, investigative resources should be fully mobilized to punish offenders severely, without favoring one side or the other and without leaving anyone above the law. Is that directing an investigation?”

Sung also explained, “The government, which places sovereignty in the hands of the people, is running Cabinet meetings as a forum where heads of government agencies share the administration’s governing philosophy and current issues, and discuss and resolve livelihood concerns in practical terms.” He said, “Because social issues, including those affecting people’s livelihoods, involve a range of competing interests, all ministries, agencies and offices—not just one particular ministry—need to break down silos and work together.” He added, “The newly established Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and Prosecution Office are also part of the government and fall under this principle.”

Meanwhile, Sung strongly criticized the controversy over President Lee’s use of generative artificial intelligence (AI), saying, “Claiming that the president relies on AI to run the government misrepresents and distorts the facts.” Earlier, President Lee wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “I asked Gemini,” and said, “The argument that the chief of the Prosecution Office and the head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency cannot attend Cabinet meetings is an unconstitutional and baseless claim.” The opposition subsequently leveled criticism, saying, “The president is asking AI how to run the government.”

Regarding this, Sung explained, “When the president said he asked Gemini, he meant that the relevant provisions of the Constitution and laws clearly confirm the facts, even when checked with AI.” He added, “The president was using AI as a metaphor for a tool to find facts. He was not asking AI how to run the government; he was using AI to check the facts about legal provisions.”

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