President spars with liberal allies over investigation body chief nomination
It is normal for a president to clash with members of opposition parties, especially those with different political inclinations, over reform measures. President Lee Jae Myung, however, is having an unusual conflict — one against members of his own party and other liberal figures. The conflict is over the nomination of Kim Ji-yong, a former prosecutor, to be the inaugural chief of the Serious…
President Lee Jae Myung is embroiled in an unusual conflict with members of his own party and liberal figures over the nomination of Kim Ji-yong to serve as the first chief of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA). The SCIA was created as part of recent prosecutorial reforms, dividing the prosecutors' office into SCIA, which handles serious crimes, and the Public Prosecution Service (PPS), responsible for indicting suspects and prosecuting cases.
The nomination, made on September 8, has turned the much-anticipated prosecution reform into a highly contentious internal dispute. Critics from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the smaller liberal Rebuilding Korea Party (RKP), and other liberal groups argue that Kim's record of defending prosecutorial powers makes him unsuitable to lead the new agency. They also label him as a loyalist.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
