The Korean Bar Association has recommended lawyer Choi Yong-hun (Judicial Research and Training Institute Class 27) of the law firm K1 Chamber as a candidate for the special inspector.

The special inspector is responsible for monitoring the president's spouse, relatives within the fourth degree of relationship, and senior presidential secretaries or higher.

The Korean Bar Association decided yesterday (August 13) to recommend lawyer Choi as its quota for the special inspector candidate.

After completing the Judicial Research and Training Institute, Choi was appointed as a prosecutor at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office.

During his 24 years as a prosecutor, he served in various positions including prosecutor at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office and Suwon High Prosecutors' Office, and human rights policy officer at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, before starting his practice as a lawyer in 2022.

Choi's father, former prosecutor Choi Hwan, is known as the real-life model for the character in the film 1987, having played a decisive role in exposing torture by ordering an autopsy against the police who tried to hastily cremate the body of Park Jong-chul during the torture death case.

The special inspector position, established during the Park Geun-hye administration, has been vacant for 10 years as it was not appointed under the Moon Jae-in and Yoon Suk Yeol administrations following the resignation of the inaugural special inspector Lee Seok-su in September 2016.

In July of last year, President Lee Jae-myung instructed his aides to push for the appointment of a special inspector, and the appointment process gained momentum when he requested the National Assembly to make an appointment last April.

If the National Assembly recommends three special inspector candidates among legal professionals with 15 or more years of experience as judges, prosecutors, or lawyers, the president will nominate one of them.

The nominated candidate will be appointed through a National Assembly confirmation hearing process.

The People Power Party recommended lawyer Kang Ji-shik (Judicial Research and Training Institute Class 27), a former prosecutor, last April, while the Democratic Party recommended lawyer Choi Gil-su (Judicial Research and Training Institute Class 23), also a former prosecutor, last month.

The Democratic Party plans to complete the special inspector confirmation hearing process within August, ahead of the regular session of the National Assembly.

(Photo: Yonhap News)