Nominee for inaugural serious crimes agency chief rebuffs 'pro-Yoon prosecutor' claims

Kim Ji-yong, nominee to lead the newly established Serious Crimes Investigation Agency as its inaugural director, rebuffed claims by some figures in the ruling camp that he is a prosecutor close to former President Yoon Suk Yeol and former Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon. He said he had never been classified as close to any particular individual or received any benefit on that basis.

Speaking to reporters Monday at the confirmation hearing preparation office set up at the Changseong-dong annex of Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Kim said he was demoted in the first personnel reshuffle after the Yoon administration took office and resigned from the prosecution about a year later, in September 2023.

Reading from a prepared statement, Kim said he was deeply reflecting on the fact that the prosecution he had served had lost public trust and been abolished, and that he fully agreed with the core principle of criminal justice reform — the separation of investigation and indictment. "The criminal justice system exists to protect the lives and safety of the people from crime and to guarantee a peaceful daily life," he said.

He also addressed his past position advocating for prosecutors' supplementary investigative authority. Kim said his stance stemmed not from a desire to protect the prosecution but from concern that there should be no gap in protecting crime victims. "The Code of Criminal Procedure was recently amended through democratic procedures in the National Assembly to enshrine the principle of separating investigation from indictment, and I understand that various measures to protect crime victims have also been introduced," he said.

"Now is the time to respect the legislative intent of the National Assembly, successfully establish the agency, and focus our efforts on ensuring the new criminal justice system takes root with the trust of the people," Kim said. If appointed director, he pledged to comply with the amended laws as a public official and to do his utmost to protect the rights of the public in implementing them.

Earlier Monday, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Yong-min appeared on the YouTube channel "Kim Eojun's Humility Is Hard News Factory" and said the nomination would effectively reunite investigation and indictment through personnel ties. "Haven't we now completely separated investigation and indictment institutionally, by law? This appointment brings about the result of merging investigation and indictment again through personal connections," he said.

Rebuilding Korea Party lawmaker Park Eun-jeong said the nominee had "stood with Yoon Suk Yeol, stood with Han Dong-hoon, and was personally involved in the coup," adding that nominating such a prosecutor to head the agency — a symbol of prosecution reform — sent prosecutors a signal of a comeback.

Kim said he had initially thought it would be sufficient to address the allegations through the confirmation hearing process, but decided to issue a statement after recent media reports carried information that differed from what he knew to be true.

Park also said on the YouTube channel that Kim had been involved in the case involving former prosecutor Jeong Jin-ung's assault during a search and seizure, and described the Channel A case — to which the Jeong incident was linked — as a symbolic case of the Yoon coup. Media reports Monday also said Cheong Wa Dae had begun additional vetting of the nominee.

Kim acknowledged that he had been involved, in his capacity as deputy chief of the Seoul High Prosecutors Office, in a physical altercation during the search and seizure involving Jeong. "However, I consistently stated my position at the time. There were aspects that were not reflected," he said. He also said he had no involvement in the Channel A case.

The assault case involving former prosecutor Jeong stemmed from the Channel A case, in which Jeong was indicted on charges of assaulting and injuring Han Dong-hoon, then a prosecutor general, during a prosecution search and seizure. Jeong was indicted on charges of assault by a public official under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. He was found guilty at trial but acquitted on appeal, and the Supreme Court finalized his acquittal in 2022.

On reports that Cheong Wa Dae had begun additional vetting, Kim said he would cooperate fully. "I am not fully aware of the details. As long as I remain a nominee, I believe I must engage sincerely with any vetting process. I will do my best to explain myself," he said.