Skepticism within ruling party persists despite Lee Jae-myung's rebuttals

President Lee Jae-myung has approved the nomination hearing request for Corruption Investigation Office chief nominee Kim Ji-young, setting the National Assembly confirmation process in motion.

Yet even after the president's direct rebuttals, some in the ruling party continue to oppose the appointment, and the voices of dissent have not died down.

President Lee has pushed back day after day against hardliners within his camp who labeled nominee Kim a "pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Suk-yeol) prosecutor." On the 30th of last month, he said, "Forced arguments made despite knowing they are false constitute an obstruction of state affairs," and on the 1st he shot back, "If we're going to discard everyone just because they are former prosecutors, what about Rep. Park Eun-jung of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party and Rep. Lee Sung-yoon of the Democratic Party? They are both former prosecutors too." He added on the 2nd, "At the very least, it is hard to conclusively call him pro-Yoon."

Rep. Kim Yong-min, who led efforts for prosecutorial reform, criticized the nominee at a press conference in front of the Seoul External Audit Office on the 2nd, its launch date, saying, "The candidate to head the Corruption Investigation Office is someone who opposed prosecutorial reform," adding, "He is a former prosecutor general who held a press conference against reducing prosecutorial investigative powers and even vowed to file a competence dispute adjudication."

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Choo Mi-ae also made her opposition clear. Responding to President Lee's remark that nominee Kim was promoted to prosecutor general during her tenure as justice minister, Gov. Choo said, "Do not take my having promoted him to prosecutor general as grounds to trust him," asking, "Why would anyone appoint as captain of a ship launching on a mission of reform a person who could turn his back on the people and justice at any moment?"