Special Inspector's Hearing Report to Be Adopted Tomorrow, Ending a 10-Year Vacancy
With the ruling and opposition parties agreeing on the 21st to adopt the personnel hearing report on Special Inspector nominee Choi Gil-soo, the vacancy in the special inspector post that has lasted for 10 years since September 2016 will finally be resolved. The agreement comes about a month after the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee held the confirmation hearing on the 18th of last month.
The special inspector is an independent body tasked with auditing the president's spouse and relatives within four degrees of kinship, as well as government officials at the level of senior presidential secretary or higher. It was introduced to prevent abuses of power by the president's relatives and close associates, and first took effect in March 2015 under the Park Geun-hye administration. The first special inspector, Lee Suk-soo, was appointed on the recommendation of the Saenuri Party and handled the investigation into misconduct allegations against former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs Woo Byung-woo, before resigning in September 2016. Afterward, as the ruling and opposition parties failed to nominate candidates under the three-year term appointment process, the post remained vacant.
President Lee Jae-myung ordered moves to appoint a special inspector in July last year after taking office, and in April this year requested that the National Assembly begin the appointment process. The People Power Party recommended lawyer Kang Ji-sik in April and the Democratic Party recommended nominee Choi in July, and with the three-candidate slate — including lawyer Choi Yoon-hoon, recommended by the Korean Bar Association — passed at the National Assembly plenary session on August 20, President Lee nominated Choi.
Amid the public bickering that began over the scope of the inspector's authority, the targets of inspection under the current Special Inspector Act are, in principle, the incumbent president's spouse and relatives within four degrees of kinship, as well as officials at the level of senior presidential secretary or above who assist the president. Accordingly, opinions differ on legal interpretation as to whether close aides of former President Yoon Suk-yeol or Chief Secretary Kim, who is not a senior secretary, can be subject to inspection.
With this adoption, the appointment process for nominee Choi will be finalized, but conflict between the ruling and opposition parties over the scope of inspection is likely to persist.
