South Korea moves to appoint special inspector after 10-year vacancy

The process to appoint a special inspector, a position vacant for a decade, is gaining momentum as the Democratic Party has recommended lawyer Choi Gil-soo as their candidate. This move signals a significant step towards filling the oversight role responsible for investigating alleged misconduct by the president's relatives and senior presidential staff.

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It is good to be subject to checks, even for one's own safety when holding power.

Choi Gil-soo, a former prosecutor with experience in special investigations and oversight roles, was recommended by the Democratic Party on July 31. He previously served as a prosecutor at the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office and later worked in the audit department of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office. Notably, he was also recommended as a special inspector candidate by the then-opposition Bareunmirae Party during the Moon Jae-in administration in 2019.

The ruling People Power Party has already put forward its nominee, lawyer Kang Ji-sik, also a former prosecutor, who is reportedly considered to have a "non-Yoon Suk-yeol" leaning. The final candidate will be selected from nominees put forth by both parties and the Korean Bar Association. The Democratic Party has expressed its intention to finalize the parliamentary nomination procedures before the upcoming September regular session of the National Assembly.

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We will pursue the follow-up procedures with the goal of swiftly completing the parliamentary nomination process before the start of the September regular session.

The special inspector position was first established in March 2015 under the Park Geun-hye administration. However, it has remained vacant since September 2016, following the resignation of then-special inspector Lee Suk-soo amid an investigation into alleged misconduct by former senior presidential secretary Woo Byung-woo. President Lee Jae-myung has previously emphasized the necessity of appointing a special inspector for accountability, stating in July last year that "it is good to be subject to checks, even for one's own safety when holding power."

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This is a kind of 'diversionary tactic' to shift the public's anger and dissatisfaction, which is currently boiling over issues like real estate and leveraged products in a single category.