[Anchor]

Kim Min-seok, leader of the Democratic Party, stated that "many voices are asking why she is being left alone," referring to Chief Lim Eun-jung, who has publicly criticized Kim Ji-yong, the nominee to head the Major Crimes Investigation Agency. Amid persistent internal conflict within the ruling bloc over nominee Kim, criticism has also emerged calling the infighting "unsightly in the eyes of the public."

Reporter Kim Kwan-jin has the details.

[Reporter]

As controversy brews over the planned inspection into Lim Eun-jung, head of the Gwangju Major Crimes Investigation Agency, who has publicly criticized Kim Ji-yong, the nominee to lead the Major Crimes Investigation Agency, Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok threw his weight behind the inspection, noting that demands for active responses continue to pour in.

[Kim Min-seok / Democratic Party Leader (YouTube 'Minjoo Party TV') : "In fact, I receive so many messages asking, 'Why on earth are you doing nothing?' or 'Why are you leaving her alone?' that they are overflowing to the brim."]

Regarding the criticism directed at nominee Kim by so-called prosecution reform hardliners within the broader ruling bloc, Kim stated that he had made efforts such as publicly calling for restraint, and added:

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

Representative Kim also interpreted President Lee Jae-myung's consecutive social media posts regarding the controversy as being "fundamentally driven by deep frustration," yet challenges against nominee Kim persisted within the party today (October 12).

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

With internal strife showing little sign of subsiding, former National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik posted on social media, saying, "It is truly unsightly in the eyes of the public," and "As members of the ruling party, we must first respect the president's personnel decisions," while adding that the presidential office also needs to review its vetting process.

However, the Rebuilding Korea Party also expressed the stance that reexamining nominee Kim Ji-yong's qualifications should take priority over inspecting Chief Lim, leading to outlooks that scrutiny from some lawmakers within the broader ruling bloc may prove even fiercer than that of the opposition during nominee Kim's confirmation hearing the day after tomorrow.

(Video by Oh Young-chun and Kim Yong-woo | Video Editing by Yoo Mi-ra | Graphics by Lee Jong-jeong)