[Anchor]
President Lee Jae-myung has once again pushed back against criticism that it is inappropriate for heads of investigative agencies, such as the commissioner of the Major Crimes Investigation Agency, to attend Cabinet meetings. Today (October 21), stating that he consulted an artificial intelligence model, he described the argument that they should not attend as an "unconstitutional, groundless claim and sophistry."
Reporter Kang Min-u reports.
[Reporter]
Amid controversy surrounding Kim Ji-yong, Commissioner of the Major Crimes Investigation Agency, attending a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Lee Jae-myung for the first time yesterday (October 20), President Lee posted a series of messages on social media today.
Stating that he asked Google's AI model "Gemini," he shared its response that "the claim barring the heads of the Public Prosecution Office and the Major Crimes Investigation Agency from attending Cabinet meetings is an unconstitutional and groundless argument" and "sophistry that directly denies the president's administrative supervisory authority and government command structure stipulated by the Constitution and the Government Organization Act."
In a subsequent post, President Lee wrote that both the Major Crimes Investigation Agency and the Public Prosecution Office are merely agencies under the direction of the president, the prime minister, and cabinet ministers, reassuring the public that they need not worry as he will not direct investigations into specific cases.
He also pointed out that democratic control is just as important as operational independence and that sharing the general direction of state affairs is necessary, adding that treating investigative agencies as special entities and granting them exceptional treatment was a misguided practice of the past.
[President Lee Jae-myung (Cabinet meeting on October 13): "Of course, we do not interfere with the handling of detailed cases. However, it is very important to share the general direction or policies of state affairs together."]
According to data from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, there has been no precedent of a prosecutor general attending a Cabinet meeting for the past 25 years since 2000.
The People Power Party criticized the move, asking since when AI answers have served as the basis for the legitimacy of state governance, while one lawmaker posted on social media, "I received an answer from Gemini stating that asking Gemini about major state affairs and using it as justification is an inappropriate act."
Furthermore, with critics pointing out that Cheong Wa Dae previously criticized the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court's refusal of a re-nomination recommendation as departing from established convention, arguments are being raised that a different standard is now being applied rather than convention, suggesting that the debate is set to continue.
Video by Jeong Sang-bo and Yoon Hyeong | Video Editing by Wi Won-yang | Graphics by Yang Gi-tae
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