Presidential Office Chief Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said on the 19th that additional vetting is still underway for attorney Kim Ji-yong, who has been named as the nominee to head the new Serious Crimes Investigation Agency. "We are looking at it closely," she said.
Speaking on a radio program that day, Kang was asked when the vetting would be completed. "It is still difficult to say when," she said.
"Many people have been offering various views," Kang said. "We are not letting those comments pass, and we are conducting additional vetting on those points as well."
Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung recommended Kim on the 7th as the nominee to become the agency's first chief. The Presidential Office then said President Lee Jae-myung had decided to name Kim as the nominee and would request a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly. But after returning from France on the 10th, Lee ordered additional vetting of the attorney.
Some within the ruling camp have voiced opposition to Kim's appointment over his past positions on prosecution reform. Gyeonggi Gov. Choo Mi-ae of the Democratic Party compared Kim to Adolf Eichmann and criticized him, saying, "Why are you so anxious while riding on the back of the insurrection forces?"
