Lee: “It’s not that I cited Gemini out of ignorance ... Giving up direction and supervision of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency is grounds for impeachment”

[Financial News] President Lee Jae Myung said on the 22nd, in connection with the controversy over investigative agency chiefs attending Cabinet meetings, “It wasn’t that I cited Gemini out of ignorance; I did so to show just how far the claim is from basic logic and facts, and how low its level is.”
Lee shared a post containing the presidential office’s explanation about investigative agency chiefs attending Cabinet meetings on X (formerly Twitter) that day, making the remarks above. He spoke out directly after facing criticism that he was relying on AI to make decisions on state affairs, following his rebuttal the previous day of arguments against their attendance, in which he cited an answer from the generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool Gemini.
Lee stressed, “The Constitution and the Government Organization Act explicitly stipulate that all ministries and agencies—from the Public Prosecution Office to the Korean Meteorological Administration and the National Fire Agency—are subject to the direction and supervision of the president and prime minister,” adding, “The president’s direction and supervision of state affairs is both an authority and a responsibility.”
He went on to argue, “Giving up direction and supervision of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency would violate the Constitution and the Government Organization Act and constitute grounds for impeachment,” adding that it would be “a crime punishable as dereliction of duty.”
Lee asked rhetorically, “Are you saying the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency should not be directed and supervised, in violation of the Constitution and laws?” He added, “Are you saying that direction and supervision should take place behind closed doors, rather than at public meetings?”
He criticized the argument, saying, “It is illogical to claim that ‘excluding’ the agency from public meetings is a way to ensure political neutrality,” and that “demanding that the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency not be allowed to attend open Cabinet meetings is an untenable argument that goes against the Constitution, the law and common sense.”
Earlier that morning, Seong Gi-hong, the presidential office’s senior secretary for public relations and communication, also told reporters, “Reporting or claiming that the president is running state affairs by relying on AI misleads the public and distorts the facts.”
[email protected] Seong Seok-woo Reporter