President Lee: "Park Eun-jung and Lee Sung-yoon Are Also Former Prosecutors... Revenge on Prosecution Is Not the Goal"

Regarding criticism from some within the ruling camp citing nominee Kim Ji-yong's career as a prosecutor, President Lee Jae-myung said, "If we are told not to appoint a former prosecutor who is an investigation expert to head an important investigative agency simply because they are 'a former prosecutor,' it would be tantamount to ruining the agency."

President Lee made the remarks after sharing a post on X (formerly Twitter) by an internet user opposing Kim's appointment, adding, "There are likely many people who [oppose] out of genuine concern for me and the country's future."

In particular, President Lee remarked, "If we were to dismiss everyone simply because they are former prosecutors, what would become of people like Representative Park Eun-jung of the Rebuilding Korea Party, Chief Prosecutor Lim Eun-jung, and Representative Lee Sung-yoon of the Democratic Party of Korea, who are all former prosecutors?"

He emphasized, "There were claims opposing nominee Kim, such as alleging he was a 'pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Suk Yeol)' prosecutor, but following an extensive additional vetting process, these were found to be largely untrue or even completely unfounded, false allegations."

President Lee asked, "Isn't the goal of prosecution reform not to seek revenge against the prosecution or destroy it, but rather to separate investigation and prosecution, prevent it from ever being abused by those in power again, and allow proper investigation and prosecution?"

President Lee added, "Whether state affairs or prosecution reform, it must not be about resolving personal feelings, grudges, or favors. Nor should it be for the interests of a specific person or group."

Regarding the recommendation process for nominee Kim, he explained, "It was not arbitrarily decided by the president. An independent recommendation committee recommended four candidates, after which the Minister of the Interior and Safety submitted Kim's nomination. Following consultations, Kim was deemed the most qualified candidate."

He continued, "If nominee Kim is excluded, he would have to be replaced with one of the remaining three nominees. Whether [the issues raised about nominee Kim] warrant requesting a renomination, or whether the remaining three candidates are capable of replacing nominee Kim, still remains an area of deliberation and judgment."
 
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.