Democratic Party chief Kim Min-seok speaks out on nomination of Corruption Investigation Office chief nominee Kim Ji-yong
Kim Min-seok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said Monday regarding internal backlash within the ruling camp over the nomination of Kim Ji-yong as the first chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) that "there has been ongoing criticism that, as the logic and targets keep shifting, the president and the party are constantly being dragged into these disputes." Kim made the remarks while appearing on the party's YouTube program 'Minti07,' answering a question about a post President Lee Jae-myung published on X (formerly Twitter) on the 9th.
In the post, President Lee wrote: "Pure radicalism is one problem, but it is also a problem when people who lack the ability demand top positions, try to bend personnel decisions and national policy to their own will, and then, when things don't go their way, brandish radical reform as a pretext and launch attacks from within." The post was interpreted as being aimed at Gyeonggi Gov. Choo Mi-ae, Rep. Kim Yong-min, and Gwangju Regional CIO chief Lim Eun-jung, who have opposed Kim's nomination.
Commenting on the president's post, Kim said: "The president values rationality and is open to criticism, so I thought he was continuing to express his concerns about rationality." He added, "I believe a sense of frustration lies beneath it all at the most basic level." On the manner of criticism, he added: "One should do one's own job in the most appropriate way that fits one's position and role — there is an overall concern about expressing it in an inappropriate manner that appears to lack focus."
Regarding Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung's instruction to audit CIO chief Lim, who has criticized Kim's nomination, Kim said: "I too have received so many calls asking 'why on earth are we leaving (Lim) alone' that it's hard to swallow." Still, he emphasized: "The ruling party can raise issues sufficiently from within. Public officials would do better to take a different approach," adding, "It is best to focus on one's own work."
