President Lee warns ruling-party hardliners over prosecution reform staffing
Version 2: Follow-up reports add that hardliners label the nominee a pro-Yoon prosecutor, that Lee has posted at least seven times on prosecution reform since nominating him on Oct 1, and that the nominee's opponents responded with a “bullets at my back” remark; Maeil Business also quotes Lee saying most reform advocates, including the Rebuilding Korea Party, had wanted both new agencies inside the Justice Ministry.
In short
President Lee Jae-myung said in an X post on Oct 5 that prosecution reform must not be used as a pretext to sway personnel decisions or investigation and indictment work out of self-interest, remarks Korean outlets read as aimed at hardliners in his own party. Those hardliners, including Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae, have kept opposing the nomination of Kim Ji-yong as the first head of the Major Crimes Investigation Agency since his parliamentary confirmation-hearing request was sent on Oct 2. Lee also said the government did not delay reform and that the remaining task is making the new investigation and indictment bodies work properly.
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President Lee Jae-myung said in a post on X on Oct 5 that “I trust it will not happen, but in the slightest chance, no one should use prosecution reform as a pretext to sway personnel and specific investigation and indictment work out of self-interest,” Yonhap and other outlets reported. He added that “in all public work, including state affairs, the most important thing is to distinguish public from private and discard self-interest.” [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 16 ]
Korean outlets read the post as aimed at hardliners in the ruling camp who continue to oppose the nomination of Kim Ji-yong as the first head of the Major Crimes Investigation Agency. Yonhap, Kyunghyang Shinmun, Chosun Ilbo, SBS News and Maeil Business named Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae among those opposed; Kyunghyang also named Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Yong-min. Hankook Ilbo reported that hardliners label Kim a pro-Yoon Suk-yeol prosecutor and have kept raising objections since the request for his parliamentary confirmation hearing was sent on Oct 2. [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 17 ]
Lee wrote that prosecution reform “is for the people, not for creating the political legacy of specific individuals,” and that it was wrong to disparage others' efforts as useless or as an obstacle. He said the government had not dragged its feet: under a ruling party-government agreement it achieved a complete separation of investigation and indictment faster and more thoroughly than any previous administration, going beyond what many had originally envisioned — “not me,” he added — by putting the two bodies in separate ministries. What remains, he said, is making the investigation function of the Major Crimes Investigation Agency under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the indictment function of the Public Prosecution Service under the Ministry of Justice work properly. [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 ]
Yonhap, Kyunghyang Shinmun, SBS News and Maeil Business reported that Lee shared a video of Gangwon Governor Woo Sang-ho, who coordinated prosecution reform with the Democratic Party as senior secretary for political affairs, rebutting the internal claim that the government had stalled. Hankook Ilbo described the shared video instead as one of former Roh Moo-hyun Foundation chairman Yoo Si-min speaking on YouTube; Yoo had said the president “deceived the people” over whether the investigation and indictment bodies would sit inside the Justice Ministry, and Lee's “not me” was read as a reply to that criticism. [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 ]
Maeil Business quoted Lee as saying that most advocates of prosecution reform, including the Rebuilding Korea Party, had wanted both the investigation agency and the indictment agency inside the Justice Ministry, but that this government separated investigation and indictment between the Major Crimes Investigation Agency and the Public Prosecution Service. [ 10 ]
Dong-A Ilbo reported that Lee has posted seven items on prosecution reform on X since nominating Kim on Oct 1, while Chosun Ilbo said he published more than 10 posts that day alone. Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae responded that she would “leave the truth rather than a shabby silence,” called Kim a prosecution force and said she “could not have imagined” that bullets would fly at her back again, Seoul Economic Daily and Hankook Ilbo reported. [ 2 , 4 , 11 , 16 , 17 ]
Why it matters
The post puts a public rift inside the ruling camp on the record: hardliners in Lee's own party are pressing against his pick to lead the new Major Crimes Investigation Agency, the centrepiece of the prosecution reform he describes as institutionally complete. How the standoff ends will shape whether the new investigation and indictment bodies start work with the president's authority intact. The documents give no indication that the hardliners' opposition has eased.
Key facts
- President Lee Jae-myung made the remarks in a post on X on Oct 5. [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 16 ]
- Lee said that in the slightest chance, no one should use prosecution reform as a pretext to sway personnel and specific investigation and indictment work out of self-interest. [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 16 ]
- Korean outlets read the post as aimed at ruling-camp hardliners opposing the nomination of Kim Ji-yong as the first head of the Major Crimes Investigation Agency, naming Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae. [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 11 , 15 , 17 ]
- Lee said the government did not drag its feet and that investigation and indictment were fully separated under a ruling party-government agreement, with the two bodies placed in different ministries. [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 ]
- He said what remains is making the investigation function of the Major Crimes Investigation Agency under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the indictment function of the Public Prosecution Service under the Ministry of Justice work properly. [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 ]
- Hardliners kept raising objections after the request for Kim Ji-yong's parliamentary confirmation hearing was sent on Oct 2, resuming the appointment process. [ 4 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo reported that hardliners label Kim a pro-Yoon Suk-yeol prosecutor, and that Lee has posted seven items on prosecution reform on X since nominating him on Oct 1. [ 17 ]
- Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae responded that she would leave the truth rather than a shabby silence, called Kim a prosecution force and said bullets had flown at her back again. [ 2 , 4 , 11 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- President Lee Jae-myung said in his Oct 5 X post that no one should use prosecution reform as a pretext to control personnel and specific investigation and indictment work out of self-interest, and that public work requires distinguishing public from private and discarding self-interest. [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 16 ]
- Korean outlets, including the national news agency Yonhap, read the post as aimed at ruling-camp hardliners who continue to oppose the nomination of Kim Ji-yong as head of the Major Crimes Investigation Agency, naming Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae. [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 11 , 15 , 17 ]
- Lee said the government did not delay prosecution reform, that investigation and indictment were separated faster and more thoroughly than under any previous government, and that the two bodies were placed in different ministries. [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 ]
- Lee said the remaining task is making the Major Crimes Investigation Agency's investigation function under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Public Prosecution Service's indictment function under the Ministry of Justice work properly. [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 ]
Still unclear
- Which video Lee shared alongside the post: a video of Gangwon Governor Woo Sang-ho rebutting internal criticism that the government stalled, or one of former Roh Moo-hyun Foundation chairman Yoo Si-min speaking on YouTube. Yonhap, Kyunghyang Shinmun, SBS News and Maeil Business describe the video as one of Woo Sang-ho, while Hankook Ilbo describes it as one of Yoo Si-min; the documents do not reconcile this.
- Lee's statement that most advocates of prosecution reform, including the Rebuilding Korea Party, had wanted both the investigation and indictment agencies inside the Justice Ministry. This appears in a Maeil Business summary only, with no second outlet stating it.
- The exact time Lee published the Oct 5 post. The documents say only that he posted it that day, with Chosun Ilbo saying he published more than 10 posts that day.
- Whether the hardliners' opposition affects the appointment schedule, including whether a confirmation hearing has been scheduled. The documents state only that the hearing request was sent on Oct 2 and that criticism has continued; no outcome is reported.
- Any response from Kim Ji-yong himself, or from the presidential office beyond the published statements. No document in this set carries a reaction from the nominee.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Lee nominates Kim Ji-yong as head of the Major Crimes Investigation Agency, according to Dong-A Ilbo. [ 17 ]
- The request for a parliamentary confirmation hearing for Kim Ji-yong is sent, resuming the appointment process; ruling-camp hardliners continue to raise objections. [ 4 ]
- Lee posts on X that reckless, irresponsible extremism must be guarded against; Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae responds that she will leave the truth rather than a shabby silence and repeats her opposition to Kim's appointment. [ 2 , 4 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily publishes its report on Lee's X post, describing it as aimed at ruling-camp hardliners over the Major Crimes Investigation Agency appointment. [ 2 ]
- Yonhap publishes its wire report, saying the post appears aimed at Choo Mi-ae and other hardliners continuing to oppose the nomination. [ 5 ]
- Chosun Ilbo reports on the post under a headline about Lee targeting ruling-camp hardliners. [ 7 ]
- Maeil Business publishes a summary quoting Lee on the Rebuilding Korea Party and the placement of the new agencies. [ 10 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo reports that Lee has posted seven prosecution-reform items on X since Oct 1 and that hardliners call Kim a pro-Yoon prosecutor. [ 17 ]