Rep. Woo Won-shik rebuts Choo Mi-ae: "Attaching labels is inappropriate"

Rep. Woo Won-shik of the Democratic Party of Korea on Tuesday pushed back against hard-line prosecutorial reform figures within the ruling camp, including Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae, who have opposed the appointment of Kim Ji-yong as the first chief of the Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (head of the agency specializing in investigating major crimes), saying, "It is inappropriate to prejudge someone and slap a label on them before the facts have been verified through due process." In a Facebook post that day, Woo noted that "as members of the ruling party, we should first and foremost respect the president's personnel judgment." He went on to warn that such behavior "could invite suspicions of other political calculations," and stressed that repeatedly making the president's personnel decisions a target of political wrangling is not the attitude of a responsible ruling party.

Woo pointedly singled out Governor Choo. He recalled that among the politicians who voted to impeach former President Roh Moo-hyun, some later went on to play important roles in the Democratic Party. "Governor Choo herself later served as justice minister in the Moon Jae-in government," he said, "not because the past was forgotten, but because we did not judge an entire person on that alone." Choo and others had argued that Kim is unfit for the post, citing his "pro-Yoon Suk Yeol track record" and "opposition to prosecutorial reform," making Woo's remarks a direct rebuttal of that position.

Woo also had a message for the presidential office, urging that "a tighter, more good-faith personnel vetting system must be put in place so that no one doubts the verification process."

The National Assembly's Committee on Public Administration and Security will hold Kim's confirmation hearing on the 14th. The fate of the appointment process may hinge on how the conflict within the ruling camp is resolved at the hearing.