"Why Leave It Alone?" "An Eyesore": Ruling Bloc Divided Over Personnel Feud

[Anchor]

Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok said there are "many voices asking why she is being left alone," referring to Lim Eun-jung, chief of the Gwangju Regional Office of the Major Crimes Investigation Agency, who has publicly criticized the agency's chief nominee Kim Ji-yong. Amid the persistent internal strife within the ruling bloc surrounding nominee Kim, criticism also emerged that the infighting is "an eyesore in the eyes of the public."

Kim Kwan-jin reports.

[Reporter]

As controversy mounted over plans to conduct an internal inspection of Lim Eun-jung, chief of the Gwangju Regional Office of the Major Crimes Investigation Agency, who has openly criticized agency chief nominee Kim Ji-yong, Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok threw his weight behind the inspection, stating that calls for active measures have been pouring in.

[Kim Min-seok / Democratic Party Leader (YouTube 'Democratic Party TV'): "In fact, I have received an overwhelming number of messages asking, 'Why on earth are you just standing by?' or 'Why are you leaving her alone?' to the point that my throat is practically choked with them."]

Regarding the criticism directed at nominee Kim by the so-called hard-line faction for prosecution reform within the broader ruling bloc, Kim said he had made efforts, including making public requests for restraint, and added the following.

[Kim Min-seok / Democratic Party Leader (YouTube 'Democratic Party TV'): "Many people feel that our efforts are reaching their threshold."]

Leader Kim interpreted President Lee Jae-myung's consecutive social media posts regarding the controversy as stemming primarily from "frustration at the core," but concerns and objections over nominee Kim continued within the party today (October 12).

[Park Joo-min / Democratic Party Lawmaker (MBC Radio 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus'): "At that time, he was someone who very strongly expressed opposition to the adjustment of investigative powers between the prosecution and police."]

As internal discord showed little sign of subsiding, former National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik wrote on social media, "It is truly an eyesore for the public to watch," adding, "If you are a member of the ruling party, you must first respect the president's personnel judgment," while also noting that the presidential office needs to look back on its vetting process.

However, the Rebuilding Korea Party also took the stance that reexamining nominee Kim Ji-yong's qualifications should take precedence over inspecting Chief Lim Eun-jung, prompting projections that questioning by some lawmakers in the broader ruling coalition could be fiercer than that of the opposition during Kim's confirmation hearing the day after tomorrow.

(Video by Oh Young-choon and Kim Yong-woo | Video Editing by Yoo Mi-ra | Graphics by Lee Jong-jeong)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.