September 15 Legislative Report: President Lee Orders Additional Vetting of Corruption Investigation Office Nominee

President Lee Jae-myung has personally ordered additional vetting of Kim Ji-yong, the nominee to head the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO).

According to political circles in the National Assembly on the 15th, President Lee recently reviewed the suspicions raised during the vetting process for the CIO chief nominee and asked the relevant government agencies to carry out additional verification procedures. The same day, he also ordered revisions and improvements to the proposed organizational plan for the Public Prosecution Office. The move is interpreted as a directive to go back to the drawing board on the blueprints for both the CIO and the Public Prosecution Office, the two pillars of prosecution reform.

CIO Law Amendment Passes Administrative Affairs Committee, Reform Gains Speed

On the 15th, the National Assembly's Administrative Affairs Committee, led by the ruling party, passed an amendment to the CIO Act in a general meeting that would allow the office to conduct supplementary investigations into crimes targeting the socially vulnerable. The amendment broadly expands the CIO's investigative authority in specific crime areas such as sexual violence. Once the bill clears the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and reaches the plenary session, the CIO's scope of investigation will be institutionally confirmed.

President Lee's order for additional vetting should be read in step with this legislative momentum. It appears to reflect the judgment that as the agency's investigative powers expand, the scrutiny of the chief who will lead it must also intensify. One official noted that even within the government there is a view that "an investigative agency's credibility is decided by its first chief appointment."

September Regular Session: Preparations for Business and Livelihood Bills in Full Swing

The curtain has risen on the September regular National Assembly session, which will address the policy agenda for the second year of the Lee Jae-myung administration. The most prominent economic issue is a business revitalization bill that includes abolishing the breach of trust offense. This was a campaign pledge by President Lee, intended to protect companies' normal investment and management decisions from criminal liability. The business community hopes the amendment's passage will help restore domestic investment sentiment.

Progress has also been made on livelihood bills. On the 15th, the ruling and opposition parties agreed to pass 32 bills during this regular session, including the so-called "Emergency Room Turnaway Prevention Act" (an amendment to the Emergency Medical Care Act). Its core provision strengthens responsibility for transferring emergency patients between medical institutions to prevent gaps in emergency care.

The Reform Party's legislative moves are also noteworthy. Fairness Lee Kwan-seok co-sponsored related criminal law amendments, including revisions on forging private documents, while most of the party's lawmakers have been assigned to the Education Committee and the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, focusing on reviews of education and welfare budgets. Lawmaker Jung Gibeom reaffirmed the party's support for judicial reform legislation such as the complete transfer of investigative authority from prosecutors. Though not a negotiating bloc in the Assembly, the party continues to hold kingmaker-level influence in judicial reform and budget deliberations.

Spread of Defection Votes Within Both Parties Becomes a Variable for Livelihood Bills

Ahead of the regular session, lawmakers from both major parties repeatedly voted against party lines. In the vote on the National Pension Act amendment (substitute bill), the People Power Party saw as many as nine defections, with 29 in favor and 9 against. Senior lawmakers including Kim Eun-hye, Joo Ho-young, and Park Sung-hoon cast opposing votes. Eight more defected on the Agriculture and Fisheries Chambers of Commerce bill, exposing questions about party cohesion.

In the vote on a partial amendment to the Special Act on the Itaewon Crowd Crush of October 29, People Power Party lawmakers Joo Ho-young, Kang Seung-kyu, Lee Jong-wook, and Kim Jang-kyom voted against a bill that passed 57 to 4. This confirmed internal divisions within the party even on the sensitive issue of relief for victims of the disaster.

The ruling party was no exception. In the vote on a partial amendment to the National Intelligence Service Act, Democratic Party lawmakers Jeon Jin-sook, Seo Mi-hwa, and Moon Jeong-bok voted against it. Three lawmakers each also broke with the party line on the Distributed Energy Revitalization Special Act (substitute bill) and the Hearing Act amendment.

The Tug-of-War Between Vetting Politics and the Legislative Calendar

President Lee's order for additional vetting reflects the calculation that a failed appointment vetting could trip up the entire legislative schedule. The National Assembly held confirmation hearings that day for nominees Lee Hyung-il, Kim Seung-won, and Lee So-young. For SMEs and Startups Minister nominee Lee So-young, suspicions about roughly 70 million won paid under the guise of legislative activity expenses and a record of police complaints became key issues at the hearing. Depending on the hearing outcomes, the second cabinet reshuffle and the budget and bill schedules could be shaken simultaneously.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said regarding former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon, "He will face legal judgment anyway," adding, "We have decided to set aside his expulsion from the National Assembly for the time being." The remark is read as a message to separate Assembly disciplinary procedures from judicial ones to reduce friction over livelihood legislation.

The outlook is as follows. The CIO Act amendment looks likely to pass the plenary session, but if the vetting of the chief nominee drags on, the entire prosecution reform timeline—including the Public Prosecution Office organizational plan—could be delayed. Passing the business revitalization bill and the 32 livelihood bills, too, ultimately hinges on two variables: bipartisan cooperation and party discipline. As the adage goes, a winning strategy alone is not enough—precision in execution decides the game—and the success of this regular session appears likely to be determined not by grand reform blueprints, but by the fundamentals of vetting and vote management.