Kim Ji-yong, the nominee for the inaugural head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, acknowledged the need for prosecutorial reform, stating that "former President Yoon Suk Yeol is the first political prosecutor to have the most negative impact."
Kim made these remarks during a confirmation hearing held by the National Assembly's Administrative Safety Committee on October 14, in response to a question from ruling party lawmaker Park Deok-heum, who asked him to identify the first political prosecutor.
He explained that the prosecution has become a target for reform due to various issues that have come to light, acknowledging that "there are indeed political prosecutors swayed by political power."
When Park asked him to name other political prosecutors, Kim replied, "It’s difficult to name them all," but when asked if independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon was included, he said, "It seems hard to deny that."
Regarding the opposition from some ruling party members and Lim Eun-jung, head of the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office, to his appointment, Kim stated, "I take their comments seriously due to the weight of the position of the head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, but I do not consider myself disqualified as I have worked with conviction without political bias."
In response to a question from Park Seong-woong of the ruling party about whether the critical remarks made by Choo Mi-ae, the governor of Gyeonggi Province, and Lim were extreme, Kim said, "I think they are insulting expressions, but it may be due to the importance of the position." He added that he believes they will share a common goal of successfully establishing the agency and will work together effectively.
Kim reiterated that he acted with conviction during his time in the prosecution. He revealed that while he was the Deputy Chief of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office in 2020, he was part of the decision-making line to indict Jeong Jin-woong, a former chief prosecutor, for assault, but he opposed the indictment.
As the head of the Criminal Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in 2021, he mentioned that he was involved in the case of Lee Kwang-cheol, a former senior secretary to the Blue House, who was indicted in the illegal departure ban case of former Justice Ministry official Kim Hak-eui, which was later acquitted. Kim stated, "I cannot say there is no responsibility, and I am fully willing to apologize personally."
However, he denied the allegations raised by Lim regarding the concealment and mishandling of a sexual assault case during his tenure as the head of the Inspection Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in 2018. He explained, "The investigation into the case of former prosecutor Jin Dong-kyun concluded that no misconduct was found," and added that there were limitations in the allegations against former prosecutor Ahn Tae-geun, as the perpetrator and victim were not specifically identified.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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