The Ministry of the Interior and Safety has publicly defended Kim Ji-yong, the nominee to head the newly created Major Crimes Investigation Agency, against criticism that he is a "pro-Yoon prosecutor" and a "prosecution loyalist." The ministry said Kim did take part in discussions on indictment in a case that drew controversy, but that he opposed bringing charges. Still, resistance from hardliners in the ruling bloc has not subsided, with Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae calling Kim "a henchman of the Yoon Suk-yeol camp."
Kim Min-jae, vice minister of the interior and safety and head of the task force preparing the agency's launch, held a briefing at the Government Complex Seoul on the 17th and rebutted the allegations, saying that "various questions and concerns have been raised about the nominee's past record and his position on prosecution reform."
On the case involving the emergency travel ban imposed on former Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-eui, the vice minister said three of the four people indicted had already been charged before the nominee took office as head of the criminal division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. As for the fourth, Lee Kwang-chul, a former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, he said, "The nominee took part in the process of discussing whether to indict him and clearly opposed it."
Addressing criticism that Kim is a "pro-Yoon prosecutor," the vice minister disclosed that the nominee had directed a reinvestigation into a case involving relatives of former Prosecutor General Yoon Suk-yeol that had earlier been dropped without charges. He added that in an additional vetting process by the Presidential Office, "I understand the conclusion was that the allegations raised so far do not match the facts."
The ministry's unusual decision to send a vice minister to defend the nominee is seen as an effort to avoid a leadership vacuum ahead of the agency's launch on Oct. 2. The vice minister also stressed, "We hope the agency can open without a vacancy at the top."
Governor Choo, however, renewed her call for the nomination to be withdrawn in a social media post the same day. She said the nominee had been involved in the process of indicting the former presidential secretary while serving as head of the criminal division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, arguing that "he played the villain as a henchman for the Yoon Suk-yeol gang as it subdued the Justice Ministry and dismantled the presidential office of civil affairs." She added that "the Yoon Suk-yeol camp at the time used its investigative powers to remove leading candidates for the next prosecutor general one by one."
Calls for the nomination to be withdrawn also continued within the Democratic Party of Korea. Rep. Kim Yong-min described the nominee as a "pro-Yoon Suk-yeol prosecutor" and said, "Even if it means leaving the first commissioner's post vacant, a personnel overhaul is needed." He added, "I ask the president to make a decision."
