President Lee Jae-myung approved the appointment of Kim Ji-yong as the inaugural head of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency on Thursday, October 15, Cheong Wa Dae chief spokesperson Kang Yu-jung announced.

The approval comes 38 days after Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-jung recommended Kim for the post on September 7.

The agency, considered a key institution in the Lee administration's "prosecution reform," was also able to resolve its leadership vacuum about two weeks after its official launch.

President Lee had initially planned to request a parliamentary confirmation hearing immediately after Kim's recommendation, but ordered "additional vetting" after pushback emerged from parts of the broader ruling bloc.

Hardliners voiced opposition to the appointment, arguing that prosecution reform could retreat if Kim, a former prosecutor categorized as "pro-Yoon," became head of the agency.

In response, Cheong Wa Dae conducted additional vetting for more than 15 days and announced that the allegations surrounding Kim were confirmed to be untrue. President Lee then submitted the confirmation hearing request for the nominee to the National Assembly on October 1, a day before the agency's official launch.

The National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee held a confirmation hearing for Kim on October 14 and adopted the confirmation hearing report on October 15, just one day later.

However, the overall assessment in the confirmation hearing report for Kim listed both "qualified" and "unqualified" opinions side by side.