The presidential office said it had "answered through the exercise of its appointment authority" when asked whether it received a petition concerning Kim Seung-won, the former nominee for justice minister, declining to comment further.
Kang Yu-jung, senior spokeswoman for the presidential office, made the remarks on the 21st during an appearance on KBS Radio's "Jeongyeok Sisa," responding to questions about the petition. "The rest of the matter should probably be handled by the party or at some other level," she said. Former aides to Kim delivered the petition — which contained allegations of sexual harassment and abusive treatment of aides — to the presidential office on the 17th through Senior Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs Hong Ihk-pyo and others, according to reports.
"Kim held a press conference at 11 a.m. on the 19th and announced his intention to step down, and within 30 minutes we decided to respect that decision," Kang said. "The presidential office is an institution that answers through its appointment authority and fulfills its responsibilities and obligations regarding that authority."
She added that President Lee Jae-myung, at his press conference on the 18th, "said he had done his best in making the appointment, but that because various questions had arisen during the public vetting process, he had not yet reached a conclusion — and he gave his answer afterward." She then drew a line, saying: "There is no longer any appointment authority remaining with respect to the former nominee, so from the presidential office's standpoint, anything further is gossip. We have no responsibility or obligation to respond."
Asked about calls to improve the personnel vetting system after a series of ministerial nominees withdrew, Kang said: "The moment the president said he would look into areas that need to be supplemented, you can consider that the review had already begun." She added, "Those who are nominated or appointed after this will serve as another barometer showing the results of those improvements."
On when the vetting of Kim Ji-yong, the nominee to become the first head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, would be completed, she said, "There have been requests for additional vetting, so we are examining it closely." She also stressed, "We do have the Oct. 2 launch of the agency in mind, but what matters more is that this is a new institution being launched as one marker of prosecution reform."
Asked to assess the president's Sept. 18 press conference, Kang said: "Taking together the assessments made by various media outlets, he answered the public's questions honestly, plainly, candidly and with a humble attitude." She added, "Based on those assessments, I think we need to prepare for whether there are further matters we should address."
