Hard-liners say a 'pro-Yoon prosecutor' should not lead the new agency
Additional vetting found no problems, but opposition within the camp remains
Hearing may ease tensions — or deepen them
The National Assembly has begun confirmation hearing procedures for Kim Ji-yong, the nominee to lead the newly established Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, but divisions within the ruling camp over prosecutorial reform show no sign of abating. Even as President Lee stepped in personally to defend the nominee, hard-liners in the ruling bloc have continued to voice skepticism about his appointment.
According to political sources Sunday, Cheong Wa Dae accepted the hard-liners' concerns and conducted additional vetting, ultimately concluding there were no disqualifying issues. That finding has weakened the factual basis for the hard-liners' objections.
President Lee has signaled his determination to push the appointment through on multiple occasions. On Wednesday, he called opposition to Kim "a forced argument made with knowledge of its falsity — an obstruction of state affairs." On Thursday, he argued that rejecting all former prosecutors would implicate Rebuilding Korea Party lawmaker Park Eun-jeong and Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Sung-yoon, both of whom are also former prosecutors. On Friday, he said it would be difficult to conclude that Kim is "at minimum a pro-Yoon figure."
With the president — who holds the appointment authority — having made his intentions this clear, sustaining open opposition within the ruling camp has become increasingly difficult.
Some observers also predict that the confirmation hearing itself could quiet the internal discord, as it would allow lawmakers to directly examine the hard-liners' claims about Kim's past record of opposing former President Yoon Suk-yeol and assess his commitment to prosecutorial reform.
Earlier, Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok suggested that the hard-liners' offensive against Kim was a case of misframing.
Within the ruling camp, there has also been considerable pushback against author Yoo Si-min, who recently renewed his sharp criticism of President Lee's prosecutorial reform vision, accusing him of deceiving the public. Many in the camp felt Yoo had gone too far.
President Lee's decision Thursday to invite Jung Chung-rae — widely regarded as one of the most outspoken hard-liners on prosecutorial reform — to Cheong Wa Dae for a four-hour dinner is also being read as a gesture aimed at internal cohesion.
On the other hand, some analysts warn that the confirmation process could actually intensify rifts within the ruling camp.
Hard-liners and members of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, which will conduct the hearing, remain skeptical. If Kim fails to demonstrate a sufficiently strong commitment to prosecutorial reform during the proceedings, opposition voices could grow louder.
Rep. Kim Yong-min, who led the push for prosecutorial reform, held a press conference Friday outside the Seoul Public Prosecution Service — on the day it officially launched — and criticized the nominee directly. "The candidate for director of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency is someone who has opposed prosecutorial reform," he said. "He is a former prosecutor general who held a press conference opposing the reduction of prosecutorial investigative powers and even publicly declared he would file a constitutional competence dispute."
Rep. Park Ju-min, a member of the Public Administration and Security Committee, said on a radio program that he would speak out if the nominee proved unfit. "I will be watching whether he is someone who can uphold principles, and if he is unqualified, I will raise my voice that the appointment would be inappropriate," Park said.
Fellow committee member Rep. Yoon Geon-young also came out against the nomination in an appearance on the YouTube program "Kim Eojun's News Factory." "I simply oppose it. I think we must oppose it," he said. "At the final stage, the people must make their judgment. The decision on how to act is the president's to make."
carrier@heraldcorp.com
