Lim Eun-jung renews criticism of Kim Ji-yong, nominee for chief of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency: "Someone who should serve as a cautionary example"

[Financial News] Lim Eun-jung, chief of the Gwangju Regional Serious Crime Investigation Agency, has continued her public criticism of Kim Ji-yong, nominee to become the inaugural chief of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency. Even after the agency's official launch, she has repeatedly questioned the nominee's qualifications and continued to raise the issue publicly.
In a Facebook post on the 5th, Lim said, "The inaugural chief of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency is a symbolic 'No. 1 investigator' who sets the standards for the organization."
She particularly criticized him, saying, "A person who should serve as a cautionary example must not become the No. 1 investigator," and added, "When prosecutors engage in conduct they should not or turn a blind eye to things they should do, I have never once heard his voice urging them to stop by saying, 'This must not be done.'"
As the background to her criticism, Lim pointed to events surrounding an inspection by the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office of the Republic of Korea in 2018. She claimed that, when Kim was serving as head of Inspection Division 1 at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, legitimate requests for investigations and inspections into officials responsible for handling the case involving sexual violence allegations against former prosecutor Jin Dong-gyun were ignored. The criticism is that allowing someone who assisted or tolerated allegations of misconduct and the concealment of sexual violence within the prosecution to head a new independent investigative agency directly contradicts the purpose of institutional reform.
Lim again expressed her willingness to appear in person as either a witness or a reference witness at the parliamentary confirmation hearing to be held in the future. She has already publicly asked the National Assembly to designate her as a witness and added that she had filed a request for disclosure of information to determine the specific reasons her complaint and inspection requests at the time were ignored. She plans to bring the information disclosure decision as evidence if she appears at the hearing.
Last month, while serving as chief of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office, Lim also used social media to question Kim’s past conduct and career within the prosecution and publicly called for his nomination to be withdrawn. She continued her criticism shortly after taking office as chief of the Gwangju Regional Serious Crime Investigation Agency at the time of the agency’s opening ceremony. As a result, the dispute over Kim’s vetting ahead of the confirmation hearing is expected to develop into a direct confrontation within the organization.
[email protected] Lee Chang-hoon Reporter