President Lee to Hold Address to Nation Today: Will He State Stance on Key Issues?

[Anchor]

Amid expectations that candidate Kim Seung-won will soon go through the appointment procedures, President Lee Jae-myung will hold a press conference today (September 18). He is expected to directly state his position on key pending issues cited as causes of his declining approval ratings, including critical matters such as a constitutional amendment allowing consecutive presidential terms and the dismissal of indictments.

Park Ye-rin reports.

[Reporter]

With the National Assembly's confirmation hearing report on Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won adopted, the Blue House is leaning toward the outlook that President Lee Jae-myung will appoint nominee Kim.

A Blue House official told SBS, "The adoption of the confirmation hearing report is entirely the judgment of the National Assembly," while adding, "We believe that the suspicions raised against nominee Kim were clarified to some extent during the hearing process."

Although the confirmation report was approved solely by the ruling party, it appears they are taking into account that the likelihood of the People Power Party agreeing to adopt the report was low from the start.

In the case of Kim Ji-yong, the nominee for the inaugural head of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency whom hardliners on prosecution reform in the pan-ruling bloc oppose appointing, the Blue House has launched "additional vetting," and President Lee is reported to soon send the confirmation hearing request for nominee Kim to the National Assembly.

With the launch of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency ahead next month on September 2, this is interpreted as a judgment that re-nominating another candidate would be unreasonable.

However, Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae fiercely attacked nominee Kim yesterday, calling him a "minion of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration," and Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Yong-min demanded the withdrawal of the nomination.

President Lee Jae-myung is expected to state his position on cabinet reshuffle controversies, including the voluntary resignation of Gender Equality and Family Minister nominee Yong Hyein, at a press conference for the public this morning.

Amid reports that Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik is also considering his future following the recent resignation of former Blue House Chief of Staff for Policy Kim Yong-beom, attention is focused on whether President Lee will announce plans for a reorganization of the Blue House.

President Lee may also state a clear position on controversies surrounding the dismissal of indictments and a constitutional amendment for consecutive presidential terms, and the issue of troop deployment to the Strait of Hormuz along with investment in the United States are also expected to be key topics of today's press conference.

Video by Jeong Sang-bo and Ha Ryung | Video Editing by Lee Seunghee | Design by Lee Jong-jeong
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.