Ruling-Party Lawmaker Park Joo-min: "I Question Whether Kim Ji-yong, Who Opposed the Serious Crime Investigation Agency's Founding Philosophy, Can Properly Serve as Its Inaugural Chief"

[Financial News] The National Assembly confirmation hearing for Kim Ji-yong, nominee to become the inaugural chief of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, is scheduled for the 14th. Park Joo-min of the Democratic Party of Korea has announced plans for a thorough review of Kim. Although the party leadership has called for drawing a line under excessive demands related to prosecutorial reform and focusing on reforms affecting people's livelihoods, differences within the ruling party over Kim continue.
Park, a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea's Security and Public Administration Committee, said on YTN (Yonhap Television News) radio on the 6th, "He is someone who strongly and actively opposed the fundamental principle of separating investigations from prosecutions. The philosophical foundation behind the creation of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency was precisely to separate prosecutors' investigations from prosecutions. My biggest question is whether someone who opposed that principle can properly serve as the agency's inaugural chief." He continued, "For the inaugural chief to truly establish this agency, he must have a philosophical conviction and boundless affection for this organization. If he lacks that philosophy, he could actually become a greater burden on the administration in the long run."
Asked whether, as a ruling-party lawmaker, he felt burdened by continuing to raise concerns about the president's appointments, Park replied, "I don't feel at ease," adding, "On the one hand, I feel sorry." Even so, he stressed, "At the same time, I believe I have to perform the role that is necessary."
Earlier that day, Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok said that most of the demands from those who had strongly advocated prosecutorial reform had been reflected, adding, "Now is the time to focus on reforms affecting people's livelihoods." He also said that if excessive demands risked undermining the president's leadership, "it is time for the party to exercise some restraint."

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