Investigative Agency Chiefs' Attendance at Cabinet Meetings "Unrelated to Political Neutrality"... Lee: "Normalization of What Was Abnormal"

President Lee Reaffirms Policy on Investigative Agency Chiefs’ Attendance at Cabinet Meetings

Emphasizes, "Government Priorities Should Be Shared at Open Meetings"

Tells Kim Jiyong, SCIA Chief: "You Don't Have to Come if You're Busy, but Ple

President Lee Jaemyung said on October 27 that the attendance of investigative agency chiefs, including Kim Jiyong, chief of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA), at Cabinet meetings has "nothing whatsoever to do with political neutrality," calling it "the normalization of what was abnormal." He reiterated his rebuttal to criticism that the attendance of investigative agency chiefs could undermine political neutrality, reaffirming the existing policy.

President Lee Jaemyung speaks at a Cabinet meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae on the 27th. 2026.10.27 Yonhap News Agency.

At a Cabinet meeting he chaired that day at Cheong Wa Dae, President Lee said, "Under the Constitution and the law, all central administrative agencies, including ministries, offices and agencies, are directly commanded and supervised by the president, and are commanded and supervised by the prime minister under the president's direction."

President Lee went on to ask, "The criticism is presumably based on concern that the political neutrality of investigative agencies could be undermined, but what does attending or not attending an open meeting like this have to do with political neutrality?" He stressed, "Would Cabinet members make personal requests of the heads of investigative agencies at a meeting like this, or issue improper instructions? The possibility of conduct that violates the law is actually lower."

He also questioned the longstanding practice of investigative agency chiefs not attending Cabinet meetings. "When they did not attend Cabinet meetings in the past, was the neutrality of investigative agencies maintained? It was not," President Lee said. "At open meetings, we should share the government's policy principles and direction, as well as its values and goals, and reflect them in the national responsibilities each of us is tasked with."

"How can an agency that is subject to direction not receive that direction?" he continued. "It is better to share things at an open meeting; doing so separately is even stranger." He added, "When people are exposed to abnormal practices for a long time, they often mistake the abnormal for the normal, and even understand the normal as abnormal. Correcting improper practices or a kind of exemption is reform and progress."

However, he also said there was no need to make attendance at Cabinet meetings mandatory for heads of investigative agencies. "Cabinet members are required to attend in order to vote, but members of other committees or heads of offices and agencies do not have to come if they are busy," President Lee said. Addressing Chief Kim in particular, he said, "The SCIA has just been established, and it lacks personnel and its facilities are still incomplete, so you do not have to come unless it is absolutely necessary. Please come about once a month. You can decide for yourself." The principle of allowing investigative agency chiefs to attend Cabinet meetings will remain in place, while attendance and its frequency may be adjusted based on operational circumstances.

Kim Jiyong, chief of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, attends a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Lee Jae-myung at Cheong Wa Dae on Oct. 27, 2026. Yonhap News.

President Lee's remarks on October 27 came as Chief Kim acknowledged concerns that attending Cabinet meetings could undermine political neutrality during a comprehensive audit by the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee on October 26. Kim said at the time, "I am aware of some members of the public's concerns," and that he had conveyed relevant opinions to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Asked whether he would continue attending Cabinet meetings, he avoided giving a direct answer, saying, "I will have to see." However, when asked whether he was confident he would refuse to answer even if the president asked him about a specific case in a private setting, he replied, "I am confident."

President Lee also called on the heads of investigative agencies, including the Korean National Police Agency, the Prosecution Office, the SCIA and the Korea Coast Guard, to enforce the law fairly. "Equality before the law is important in all areas of state administration, but it is especially important in the exercise of judicial authority," he said. "There must never be a situation in which one person commits a wrongdoing and goes unpunished, while another faces criminal sanctions despite having done nothing wrong." He added, "Investigative agencies within the executive branch must also exercise their authority with scrupulous fairness and transparency, and in accordance with due process and the law. The public has very little trust in this regard."

"There is a distrust among the public, captured by the saying 'the rich are not guilty, while the poor are guilty': that people with money or power can commit crimes and still avoid punishment," President Lee said. "Whether someone is on our side or yours, strong or weak, famous or not, wealthy or not, or has a powerful lawyer or not must never affect how a case is handled." He clarified, however, that the remarks were not about court proceedings, saying, "I am not talking about the courts. I am referring to judicial work within the area of judicial administration."

"A great deal of restructuring has taken place, so I ask you to do your utmost with a strong sense of duty," President Lee said. "Please handle swiftly and rigorously cases that raise public questions, cases that cause significant harm to the public, and matters that have a strong deterrent effect on society as a whole."

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