'Someone with prosecutorial command experience needed to settle the new agency'
Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lee Hae-sik said Tuesday that the government would send a formal confirmation hearing request to the National Assembly for Kim Ji-yong, the nominee to lead the new Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, despite criticism over his prosecutorial background.
Lee, who leads his party's side on the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, made the remarks during an appearance on MBC Radio, saying it was "physically impossible" to reconvene a recommendation committee and have the minister select and submit another candidate in such a short time.
On Cheong Wa Dae's decision to allow additional vetting time, Lee said he did not think the process amounted to "starting over from scratch," adding that only the negative aspects of Kim's record had been publicized. "I think they gave it a little more time for that reason," he said.
Opposition to Kim's nomination had emerged from hardline prosecution-reform advocates within the ruling camp, who cited his public stance against the Democratic Party's "Geomsuwan-bak" legislation — a bill to strip prosecutors of investigative powers — when he served as head of the criminal division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in 2022. Kim said Monday that he "strongly supports the fundamental principle of criminal justice reform: the separation of investigation and indictment."
Lee welcomed Kim's statement, saying it showed the nominee was not still opposed to reforms that had already been institutionally settled by the National Assembly. "He said clearly and forcefully that he accepts and acknowledges the legitimacy of prosecution reform, so I think we have to take him at his word," Lee said.
Lee added that successfully establishing the new agency would ultimately require someone who had worked within the prosecution and had experience commanding and leading it. "The most important thing is how well he can lead and command, and how well he understands the organization," he added.
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