Police chief nominee defends attendance at Cabinet meetings

The Korea Times reports that Kim Jong-chul, the nominee for commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA), has defended his attendance at Cabinet meetings, stating that it is necessary and would not compromise the independence of police investigations or their political neutrality. Although the KNPA chief, who is not a member of the State Council, had not traditionally attended Cabinet meetings, Kim has attended them in his capacity as acting KNPA chief under President Lee Jae Myung's administration.

Kim Ji-yong, the inaugural chief of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, and acting Prosecutor General Lee Jeong-hyun have also attended Cabinet meetings despite opposition criticism that their presence could undermine the political neutrality and independence of their respective agencies. Kim Jong-chul emphasized that he has attended Cabinet meetings on several occasions without any specific case being discussed, and that attending these meetings is necessary to share the direction of state affairs and facilitate decision-making.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.