President Lee Jae-myung submitted a confirmation hearing request to the National Assembly on the 2nd for Kim Ji-yong, his nominee to head the newly created Serious Crimes Investigation Agency. By launching the confirmation process over objections from hard-line lawmakers in his own party — and by personally rebutting allegations against Kim for a second consecutive day — Lee has set off what observers describe as a power struggle over control of the governing agenda. Hard-liners within the party, citing Kim's past opposition to prosecution reform, signaled they would subject him to tough scrutiny at the hearing.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Lee addressed the controversy surrounding Kim within his own camp, saying it is "difficult to conclude that he is at least pro-Yoon, given that he was demoted by President Yoon Suk-yeol and effectively pushed out of the prosecution service." Lee said he could not call Kim "a 100% perfect candidate," but added that the nominee "does not appear to warrant disregarding the public recommendation process, the shortlist of four narrowed by an independent recommendation committee and the interior minister's nomination, and stripping the National Assembly of its chance to hold a hearing." He said he would "decide on the final appointment after the parliamentary hearing."
The president spoke out on consecutive days as claims within the governing camp that Kim is a pro-Yoon figure gained traction. A day earlier, when he approved the confirmation request, Lee said that "after an extended additional vetting process, the allegations were found to be largely untrue or even to be groundless false claims."
Hard-line Democratic Party lawmakers nonetheless continue to push back strongly. Speaking in front of the Public Prosecution Agency, which launched the same day, Rep. Kim Yong-min said, "Investigation and indictment, which the law separated, are being joined back together by a person," and voiced his opposition, calling the first nominee for the agency's top post "a figure who has opposed prosecution reform." Rep. Park Ju-min also criticized the choice, saying it is "a philosophical contradiction for someone who opposed separating investigation from indictment to become the first head of the very agency created as a result of that separation — not because he is a former prosecutor." Rep. Yoon Gun-young, a key figure in the pro-Moon faction, said the party should "lay bare everything for the public to see, to the point where people wonder whether a ruling party has ever vetted this fiercely." A day earlier, Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae drew a comparison between Kim and Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi war criminal.
At the same time, there are signs that some view the hard-liners' resistance as excessive. Given that the president reached his decision after more than three weeks of review following Kim's nomination on the 7th of last month, they argue, the proper course is to vet his qualifications and record through a hearing. Rep. Song Young-gil, who is aligned with Lee, said, "The president carried out additional vetting and made the appointment after considering everything, so what good does it do to shake it?" He asked, "Are they trying to take away the president's appointment power?" Rep. Park Beom-kye also said, "The president has explained enough, so that should be the end of it."
In political circles, there is a view that the hearing could become a contest for leadership within the governing camp rather than simply a vetting of the nominee. With the president having already rebutted the allegations against Kim twice, Democratic Party lawmakers digging intensively into the nominee's record on prosecution reform at the hearing could end up scrutinizing the president's own judgment on personnel rather than the nominee's individual fitness. Some argue that the hard-liners' influence has grown excessively as Lee has accommodated their demands, from legislation establishing the Public Prosecution Agency and the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency to the abolition of supplementary investigative authority.
A Democratic Party official said, "As the debate on prosecution reform gained momentum during the party convention, it moved along in a way that made it hard to point out problems." The official added, "With hard-line lawmakers publicly raising what amounts to a revolt against the president, internal conflict in the party could deepen further."
Some in the governing camp see Lee's approach of pragmatism-first reform facing a major test. The president's rationale is that he chose a figure with investigative experience and expertise in order to deliver on the long-sought goal of prosecution reform while minimizing side effects. Underlying that appears to be concern that any gaps in investigations after the new judicial structure takes effect could trigger a backlash. Hard-core supporters, by contrast, continue to call for unambiguous reform.
Kim, for his part, said the same day that he had "listened with a heavy heart to the voices of citizens worried that prosecution reform might be rolled back during the additional vetting process." He added, "If I am given the chance to serve as head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, I will fulfill my duty in realizing the spirit of prosecution reform."
