Kim Yong-min: "I did not enter politics out of ambition for power... I started to pursue prosecution and judicial reform"

Democratic Party Rep. Kim Yong-min stated on Facebook on October 11 that "I started politics not out of a desire for a position, but because there were tasks I wanted to accomplish," making clear that he did not enter politics out of ambition for office. His comments are being interpreted as a rebuttal to a post by President Lee Jae-myung, who wrote on his X account on the 9th: "The bigger problem is that someone who lacks the ability demands a major post and tries to dictate personnel and national policy, and when that fails, launches internal attacks under the banner of radical reform."

Kim had earlier noted on Facebook that "if a former prosecutor is appointed as head of the Corruption Investigation Office and the leadership is filled with former prosecutors, the prosecution and indictment functions could be merged with the Grand Criminal Investigation Department through personnel ties."

Lim Eun-jung, head of the Gwangju Corruption Investigation Office, has criticized Kim Ji-yong, the nominee to lead the CIO, through statements including her position paper, arguing that "the first head of the office should not be the very person the inaugural investigators must treat as a cautionary example," and has demanded the nomination be withdrawn.

Public Administration and Security Minister Yun Ho-jung said on October 11 that he would direct the CIO to launch an inspection into Lim Eun-jung, head of the Gwangju Corruption Investigation Office. The infighting within the ruling party over Kim Ji-yong's nomination has thus escalated into administrative proceedings.