Bar Association Recommends Lawyer Choi Yong-hoon for Presidential Special Prosecutor

The Korean Bar Association has put forward lawyer Choi Yong-hoon as its nominee for the Presidential Office's special prosecutor. This move, following recommendations from both the ruling and opposition parties, signals a potential end to a decade-long vacancy in the crucial oversight role.

Choi, who has a distinguished career as a prosecutor and has been practicing law since 2022, is now in line to be appointed. The special prosecutor's mandate is to investigate alleged corruption involving the president's spouse, relatives within the fourth degree of kinship, and presidential aides at the level of senior secretary or higher.

The position has been vacant since September 2016, when the first special prosecutor, Lee Suk-soo, resigned amid an investigation into alleged misconduct by then-senior secretary Woo Byung-woo. President Lee Jae-myung had requested recommendations from the National Assembly, leading to a consensus among party leaders to have each major party and the Bar Association nominate one candidate.

The People Power Party nominated lawyer Kang Ji-sik, also a former prosecutor, while the Democratic Party put forward lawyer Choi Gil-soo. According to the Special Prosecutor Act, the National Assembly will formally recommend a candidate to the President in writing, who must then designate one within three days. The chosen nominee will undergo a parliamentary confirmation hearing before their three-year term begins.