The Democratic Party of Korea on Friday nominated attorney Choi Gil-su as its candidate for Special Inspector at Cheong Wa Dae.
Han Byung-do, the party's acting leader and floor leader, made the announcement at a press conference at the National Assembly. "Since the first Special Inspector, Lee Seok-su, stepped down in 2016, the post has remained vacant for nearly a decade," Han said. "Our government has expressed its intention to make an appointment, but the system has been in effect frozen because the National Assembly has not put forward a candidate."
Han said President Lee Jae-myung had made clear he would no longer allow the vacancy to continue. "The Democratic Party will respond responsibly to the president's determination to demonstrate transparency in power through institutions, not words," he added.
Choi had previously been recommended as Special Inspector by the Bareunmirae Party during inter-party consultations in 2019. Han said the party judged Choi to be "the right person to carry out the role of Special Inspector independently, from the public's perspective, without leaning toward any particular camp."
The Democratic Party aims to complete the National Assembly nomination process before the regular parliamentary session in September. The People Power Party designated former prosecutor-turned-attorney Kang Ji-sik as its Special Inspector candidate — the opposition's pick — in April.
sunpine@heraldcorp.com
