President Lee Jae-myung has ordered additional verification regarding lawyer Kim Ji-yong, who has been nominated as the inaugural head of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency.

This is drawing attention as it comes at a time when hardliners within the ruling bloc are pushing back, arguing that Kim's appointment contradicts prosecutorial reform.

Previously, Minister of the Interior and Safety Yun Ho-jung nominated Kim as the candidate for the inaugural head of the agency on the 7th, and the presidential office stated that President Lee decided to designate Kim as the candidate and would soon request a confirmation hearing from the National Assembly.

However, about a week has passed, and it appears that the request for a confirmation hearing has not yet been submitted to the National Assembly.

Regarding this, an official from the ruling bloc conveyed, "The nomination was made while President Lee was on a state visit to France, and I understand that additional verification is underway after President Lee instructed upon his return that he should look more closely into various factual relations."

Given that Kim has publicly argued in the past for the necessity of maintaining the prosecution's supplementary investigative powers, voices are emerging within the Democratic Party calling for further verification of the candidate's stance on prosecutorial reform.

In addition, Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae attended the 2026 Memorial Service for Victims of the Gyeonggi Democracy Movement held at the Moran Park Democratic Martyrs Cemetery in Namyangju on the 12th. She mentioned Kim's past history of being part of the investigation team for the "Kim Hak-ui illegal departure ban case" and criticized, "Putting someone who has made distortion a specialty into a position where they must investigate well is the height of contradiction."

Governor Choo also emphasized, "If someone who shared a boat with Han Dong-hoon becomes the inaugural head of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, is that democratization? Is that changing the country? Is that serving the will of the sovereign people? Therefore, democratization is by no means over."

However, an official from the ruling bloc explained that President Lee's order for "additional verification" was given immediately after President Lee returned to Korea following his visit to France on the 10th and is not directly related to Governor Choo's remarks.

The presidential office only maintained its stance that "it is difficult to confirm matters related to personnel appointments."

(Photo: Yonhap News)