Cheong Wa Dae said Friday it would move quickly to appoint a Special Inspector once the National Assembly nominates a candidate through a plenary vote, following the Democratic Party of Korea's recommendation of attorney Choi Gil-su for the post.
The statement came in a press notice issued under the name of Senior Secretary for Public Communication Seong Gi-hong. "President Lee Jae Myung has emphasized the need to appoint a Special Inspector since his one-month press conference after taking office in July last year, and has repeatedly called for and proposed it since then," the notice said.
President Lee directed his office last July to push for the appointment and again asked the Assembly in April to begin the nomination process.
The Special Inspector investigates misconduct by the president's relatives and those with special ties to the president, and serves a three-year term.
Upon receiving a recommendation request from the president, the Assembly nominates three candidates from among legal professionals with at least 15 years of experience as judges, prosecutors or attorneys, and the president selects one.
The nominated candidate then undergoes a National Assembly confirmation hearing before being formally appointed.
Earlier, the People Power Party had designated attorney Kang Ji-sik, also a former prosecutor, as its candidate for the Special Inspector post.
sang@heraldcorp.com
