The Ministry of the Interior and Safety publicly defended Kim Ji-yong, the nominee to head the newly created Major Crimes Investigation Agency, against criticism of his record as a prosecutor. The ministry said Kim did take part in discussions on whether to indict figures in the emergency overseas travel ban case involving former Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-eui and in the case of prosecutor Jung Jin-woong, who was charged with abuse of authority and assault, but that he opposed the indictments and was not the final decision-maker.
Kim Min-jae, vice interior minister and head of the agency's launch preparation team, made the remarks at a briefing at the Government Complex Seoul on the 17th. "Various questions and concerns have been raised about the nominee's past record and his position on prosecution reform, and we take the public's voices seriously," he said.
Addressing claims that the nominee approved excessive indictments in the emergency overseas travel ban case involving the former vice justice minister, the vice minister said: "For three of the four people indicted, the investigation was already under way and the indictments had been made before the nominee took the post of head of the criminal affairs division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, which was in the chain of command for that case." On the indictment of the fourth person, Lee Kwang-chul, former presidential secretary for civil affairs, he said the nominee "took part in the discussions on whether to indict and clearly opposed it."
The ministry gave a similar explanation regarding the case of prosecutor Jung Jin-woong. It said the nominee was indeed in the chain of command for Jung's indictment while serving as deputy chief prosecutor at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, but that the investigation was already under way when he took the post and that he opposed the indictment during the discussions.
"We understand that the additional vetting being conducted by the presidential office has also found that the allegations raised so far do not match the facts," the vice minister said.
The ministry also cited the nominee's order to reinvestigate a case involving relatives of former Prosecutor General Yoon Suk-yeol as a rebuttal to claims that he is a pro-Yoon prosecutor. The ministry said the nominee reviewed the records of a criminal complaint involving Yoon's relatives that had been closed with a decision not to indict, concluded that the earlier decision was improper, and ordered a reinvestigation.
Shin Jun-ho, head of the confirmation hearing preparation team, said the case "had been cleared of charges at both the district and high prosecutors' offices during the investigation, and the complainant filed a second appeal with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office." He added: "The nominee judged that parts of the reasoning for not indicting were unclear and that some of the complainant's claims required further checking, and so ordered a reinvestigation."
The ministry's decision to defend the nominee directly is seen as an effort to avoid leaving the agency without a chief, with its launch only two weeks away. "For a successful launch of the agency, we hope it can open without a vacancy at the top," the vice minister said.
Some members of the Democratic Party of Korea and the Rebuilding Korea Party oppose appointing the nominee as the agency's first chief, pointing to his 24 years in the prosecution service and his opposition, while serving as a chief prosecutor, to stripping prosecutors of their investigative powers. President Lee Jae-myung ordered additional vetting on the 8th, a day after the nominee was recommended as the first head of the agency. The request for a confirmation hearing on the nominee has not yet been sent to the National Assembly.
