South Korea's Democratic Party nominates candidate for Presidential Special Inspector

South Korea's Democratic Party has nominated Choi Gil-soo, a former prosecutor, as a candidate for the Presidential Special Inspector. This move comes approximately one year after President Lee Jae-myung first announced his intention to establish the position, a move aimed at bolstering transparency and accountability within the administration.

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The president has made it clear he will not let this vacancy continue. The Democratic Party will respond responsibly to the president's decision to prove transparency through systems, not just words.

Han Byung-do, the acting leader and floor leader of the Democratic Party, announced the nomination at a press conference, stating, "President Lee Jae-myung has made it clear he will not let this vacancy continue. The Democratic Party will responsibly respond to the president's decision to prove transparency through systems, not just words."

The Special Inspector is tasked with investigating alleged misconduct by the president's spouse, relatives within the fourth degree of kinship, and high-ranking officials in the Presidential Secretariat. According to the Special Inspector Act, the National Assembly recommends three candidates with at least 15 years of experience as judges, prosecutors, or lawyers. The president then selects one of these candidates within three days, who must then pass a confirmation hearing before final appointment.

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We believe he is the right person to carry out the duties of the Special Inspector independently, without bias and from the public's perspective.

Choi Gil-soo, who passed the bar exam in 1991, has a background as a prosecutor and previously served in the inspection department of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office. He was also previously recommended as a candidate by the Bareunmirae Party in 2019. The Democratic Party expressed confidence in Choi's ability to perform his duties independently and in line with public expectations.

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We aim to complete the confirmation hearing process within August.

The nomination is significant as it marks the potential appointment of only the second Special Inspector since the position was established during the Park Geun-hye administration. The role has remained vacant since the resignation of the first inspector, Lee Suk-soo, in 2016. The People Power Party has already named its candidate, lawyer Kang Ji-sik. The Democratic Party indicated it would request the Korean Bar Association to recommend the third candidate. The timing of this nomination has drawn scrutiny, with some suggesting it could be a strategic move by the ruling party to shift focus amid recent political controversies.

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For a year, the Blue House demanded recommendations from the National Assembly, and the Democratic Party's delay in recommending a candidate was a double game that deceived the public.