(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Hwang Jae-ha = As the Blue House decided on the 1st to press forward with the appointment process of candidate Kim Ji-yong as the first head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, the authenticity of the so-called 'Prosecutor Chin Yoon' raised by the political circles is expected to become the biggest issue in the upcoming hearing.
Before sending the personnel hearing request for Candidate Kim to the National Assembly, the Blue House emphasized through various channels, including official briefings and social media (SNS), that Candidate Kim was not a prosecutor pro-Yoon.
President Lee Jae-myung wrote about Candidate Kim in a series of posts on
Ki-Hong Ki, Senior Secretary for Public Relations, also said in a briefing explaining his position on Candidate Kim, “Among the allegations raised, the claim that Candidate Kim is a so-called pro-Yoon prosecutor is a claim that is not correct at all.”
The fact that the Blue House has repeatedly emphasized that Candidate Kim is not a pro-Yoon prosecutor proves that there are strong voices opposing that “Candidate Kim is a pro-Yoon prosecutor.”
Hardliners such as Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae of the Democratic Party of Korea and Rep. Kim Yong-min, as well as members of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, claim that Candidate Kim is a pro-Prosecutor Yoon for reasons such as his participation in the 2020 petition requesting that then-Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae's disciplinary action against then Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol be reconsidered.
On the other hand, the Blue House explained that Candidate Kim is not a pro-Yoon prosecutor, citing the fact that he was promoted to chief prosecutor in August 2020 while Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae was under the Moon Jae-in administration, that he ordered a re-investigation in 2021 after determining that the non-prosecution of Kim Kun-hee's mother's mother's perjury case was insufficient, and that for this reason, he was demoted in 2022, the first person to be appointed under the Yoon Seok-yeol administration.
The Blue House also explained that while it is true that Candidate Kim participated in a statement to the effect that the disciplinary action against former President Yoon Seok-yeol, who was the Prosecutor General, was unfair, this was only due to concerns about procedural defects.
Some also cited the fact that Candidate Kim was in the command or approval line of cases pointed out as abuse of prosecutorial power, such as former Chief Prosecutor Jeong Jin-woong's arbitrary assault case, former Vice Minister Kim Hak-eui's departure ban case, and the Channel A case, as the basis for the suspicion of Prosecutor Chin Yoon.
The Blue House confirmed that in these cases, Candidate Kim was excluded from leading the investigation or expressed opposition to the indictment but was ignored.
The suspicion that candidate Kim, a former high-ranking prosecutor, is not appropriate for the Central Investigation Office, which is being established by abolishing the Prosecutor's Office to reform the prosecution, is also expected to become a major issue in the hearing.
In the legal world, the prevailing view is that in order for the Central Investigation Agency, a new investigative agency, to become established, it is inevitable that a former prosecutor with extensive investigative work experience and organizational management experience will serve as the first head.
This realistic background is also revealed in the process of recommending the head of the Heavy Water and Water Services Administration and composing personnel for the Heavy Water and Water Services Administration.
Candidates for the Director of the Heavy Water Investigations Office were narrowed down to four people through a meeting of the Director Candidate Recommendation Committee of the Heavy Water Investigations Office among the candidates received through public recommendation in August.
Among the four candidates unanimously selected by the committee, three, including candidate Kim, are former prosecutors.
In addition, level 1 to 5 investigators, who will play a central role in the Central Investigation Agency's investigation, will also be former prosecutors and transfer their investigative experience to the prosecution.
The Blue House emphasized, “Saying that all former prosecutors are absolutely prohibited makes subsequent procedures, such as the recommendation by the Minister of Public Administration and Security, virtually meaningless.”
He added, "Rather than unconditionally excluding people from certain backgrounds, the situation requires comprehensive consideration of investigative expertise to quickly establish the Central Investigation Agency as a specialized investigative agency under the new criminal justice system."
The government's decision to press ahead with the appointment process despite various objections can be interpreted as an emphasis on stabilizing the Central Investigation Agency, which was launched in an unstable state, as quickly as possible, rather than on opposing voices within the ruling party.
The government decided to submit a request for a personnel hearing, but considering that the opening of the Central Investigation Agency is just one day away, opening it without a head has become a reality.
An opening ceremony will be held at 10 am on the first day of the opening with Minister of Public Administration and Security Yun Ho-jung in attendance, but the position of head of the Heavy Water Administration is vacant.
If the chief is absent when investigators are supposed to start work, it not only causes disruption in work, but also has limitations in resolving the chaotic atmosphere of a new organization.
In a situation where the vacancy in the head of the Central Investigation Agency and the resulting confusion are already certain, some interpret that it is inevitable to push ahead with the appointment process of Candidate Kim in order to minimize the vacancy.
It will take additional time to find a new person and go through the verification and personnel hearing process, and there is a risk of missing the 'golden time' when the initial confusion will be resolved and the Central Investigation Agency will settle down.
The Blue House also emphasized realistic issues in the briefing that day.
Chief Seong Ki-hong said, “Now is the time to stop unnecessary and wasteful debates that are causing confusion in government affairs, and focus on the specific tasks that our criminal justice system must pursue.”
He also added, “Some people argue that the head of the Central Investigation Agency cannot be a former prosecutor, but not all prosecutors are bad prosecutors. Necessary national functions must be made to function properly, and all prosecutors cannot be excluded from national functions just because there were some bad prosecutors.”
