President Lee approves Choi Gil-soo’s appointment; Special Inspector General’s post reactivated for first time in 10 years

[Financial News] President Lee Jae-myung approved the appointment of special inspector general nominee Choi Gil-soo on the 23rd. The post, which had been vacant for 10 years since the first special inspector general, Lee Seok-soo, stepped down in September 2016, has now been filled.
Senior presidential spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung said in an announcement that President Lee had approved the appointment of nominee Choi, whose confirmation hearing report had been adopted by agreement between the ruling and opposition parties.
The National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee adopted the hearing report on nominee Choi the previous day. Adoption of the report had been delayed for more than a month after the confirmation hearing concluded on the 18th of last month, but the appointment process was completed after the ruling and opposition parties reached an agreement.
The special inspector general investigates misconduct by the president’s spouse and relatives within the fourth degree of kinship, as well as public officials at the level of senior secretary or higher in the Presidential Office. The system is intended to prevent power-related corruption involving those around the president, but the post remained vacant after former inspector general Lee Seok-soo resigned, as no successor was appointed under either the Moon Jae-in or Yoon Suk Yeol administrations.
The newly appointed special inspector general, Choi, is a former prosecutor who has served as head of the special investigation division at the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office, a prosecutor in the inspection division at the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office, and chief prosecutor of the Important Economic Crime Investigation Unit at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office, among other roles. President Lee nominated Choi for the post on August 24.
[email protected] Seong Seok-woo Reporter