President Lee Jae Myung: "Kim Ji-yong Is Not Pro-Yoon but Anti-Yoon... Baseless Claims Built on Lies Obstruct State Affairs"

[Financial News] President Lee Jae Myung directly rebutted voices from some ruling-party circles opposing the appointment of Kim Ji-yong as chief of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, calling him a "pro-Yoon (pro–Yoon Suk Yeol) political prosecutor." Lee said on September 30, "Setting everything else aside, it is difficult to understand why anyone would criticize this person simply for being labeled a pro-Yoon prosecutor."
That day, Lee quoted a post by a user on his X account, formerly Twitter, saying, "Please do not appoint pro-Yoon prosecutor Kim Ji-yong as chief of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency." He wrote, "The fact that nominee Kim is not pro-Yoon and, to put it mildly, has an anti-Yoon record has already been fully confirmed through media reports."
Lee explained, "According to what the government has confirmed based on objective evidence, nominee Kim was selected and promoted to chief prosecutor by then-Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae during the Moon Jae-in administration." He continued, "When Yoon Suk Yeol was Prosecutor General of South Korea, Kim was head of the Criminal Affairs Department at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea and ordered a reinvestigation and indictment in the case in which Yoon's mother-in-law, Choi Eun-soon, had been cleared of allegations of inducing malicious perjury." Lee added, "For that reason, he was demoted to deputy chief prosecutor at a provincial office after Yoon was elected president and eventually resigned as if he had been forced out."
Lee emphasized, "I am the biggest victim of the politicized prosecutors under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, and ensuring that such things never happen again is one of this government's biggest tasks."
Lee also stressed the need to clearly distinguish between sound criticism of state affairs and deliberate attacks. He said, "Advice and criticism concerning state affairs are always welcome, but they have genuine meaning only when based on facts." He strongly added, "Criticism based on incorrect information after someone has been deceived can be corrected in the public arena. But if someone knowingly makes a groundless claim to discredit and attack another person, it is slander, not criticism, and obstruction of state affairs, not advice on running the country."
Political circles interpret Lee's remarks as targeting opposition within the Democratic Party of Korea to Kim's appointment, including that of Choo Mi-ae, the Governor of Gyeonggi Province, as well as lawmakers Kim Yong-min and Lee Sung-yoon. Earlier, Governor Choo criticized Lee's nomination of Kim, saying, "Why are you so anxious after hitching yourself to the insurrection forces?"


[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter