Why Gemini is at the center of Korean politics

President Lee Jae Myung and opposition politicians used Google’s Gemini in South Korea in recent days to argue over whether investigative agency chiefs should attend Cabinet meetings. Lee cited Gemini to defend the attendance of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and Prosecution Service chiefs, while opposition figures shared responses they said supported concerns about investigative independence. The dispute also expanded to Lee’s suspended criminal trials. Lee said he used Gemini to check legal facts, not to decide how to govern.

The Government Organization Act places the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the Prosecution Service under the president’s authority, according to the response Lee shared.

The opposition People Power Party’s Kim Jae-won said Gemini warned that Cabinet participation could create perceptions of compromised investigative independence.

PPP lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun told a parliamentary audit that Gemini had answered that regular attendance by the SCIA chief was inappropriate.

Lee said excluding agency chiefs from public meetings would not ensure neutrality and described supervising state affairs as the president’s right and duty.

Senior presidential secretary for public relations Sung Ki-hong said Lee had used Gemini to check facts about laws, not to ask AI how to govern.

Published Oct 23, 2026 4:31 pm KST

Updated Oct 23, 2026 5:56 pm KST

President's Gemini rebuttal sparks AI logic battle among opposition politicians

President Lee Jae Myung listens to a participant during a meeting on regulatory reform at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

Gemini, the generative artificial intelligence (AI) by Google, has become the center of Korean politics in recent days, as President Lee Jae Myung and opposition politicians used the tool to defend their logic in the debate over investigative body chiefs’ attendance at Cabinet meetings.

The debate turned a dispute over investigative independence into a political contest over AI-generated responses, with high-profile opposition lawmakers citing Gemini on issues ranging from Cabinet attendance to whether Lee’s suspended criminal trials should resume.

The AI use battle began when Lee posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday under the heading, “I asked Gemini,” posting the AI assistant's answers to reject criticism of his decision to have the heads of the newly launched Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA) and the Prosecution Service attend Cabinet meetings.

His posting came after SCIA’s inaugural chief Kim Ji-yong took part in Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, presided over by Lee. The opposition bloc criticized Kim's attendance, saying it would undermine the investigative body’s political neutrality and independence since it could probe cases involving the president, ruling party or government officials. It had previously been customary for chiefs of investigative organizations not to attend Cabinet meetings, but Lee has called for attendance since January.

According to Gemini’s response to Lee’s questions, the claim that the heads of the SCIA and the Prosecution Service should not attend Cabinet meetings contradicts the Government Organization Act, which places the agencies under the president’s authority.

Lee’s post drew criticism from the opposition, which argued that AI responses cannot serve as the basis for governing or justifying state affairs.

The main opposition People Power Party's (PPP) Supreme Council member, Kim Jae-won, said that he also asked Gemini whether the attendance could undermine confidence in investigative neutrality, and that the AI warned the participation could create perceptions of compromised independence.

Kim said that Lee should stop using Gemini to present “his unfounded claims as if they were true."

Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun of the PPP told a parliamentary audit that he had also consulted Gemini about the SCIA chief’s participation. “It answered that regular attendance was inappropriate,” Yoon said.

PPP Rep. Na Kyung-won shared a response warning that presidential supervision could threaten investigative neutrality, accusing Lee of obtaining “a biased answer through a biased question.”

Rep. Lee Jun-seok, the former leader of the minor opposition Reform Party, questioned the president’s judgment in invoking AI to justify his decision.

“If the president is going to govern by asking Gemini, why not just replace the president with Gemini?” he wrote on Facebook.

Some others presented Gemini's answers to attack Lee over his trials on corruption allegations, which have been halted since his inauguration as president.

“I asked Gemini about the president’s trials, and it told me, ‘Of course they should resume,’” PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok said.

Former Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon, now an independent lawmaker, said that “even if you brought in Gemini’s grandfather,” the president must not direct investigations or indictments.

He also shared an answer saying Lee would ultimately have to stand trial, joining Jang in challenging the president over his legal cases.

The president defended his use of Gemini on Thursday, saying he had cited it to show how the criticism contradicted basic logic and facts, rather than because he lacked the answer.

He argued that excluding agency chiefs from public meetings would not ensure neutrality.

"Supervising state affairs is the president's right and duty. Abandoning the right and duty constitutes a violation of the Constitution and Government Organization Act," Lee said.

Cheong Wa Dae also rejected claims that Lee was relying on AI to govern.

Senior presidential secretary for public relations Sung Ki-hong told reporters on Thursday that such characterizations distorted the facts.

"He emphasized that the Constitution and Government Organization Act are facts that can be verified easily by asking Gemini," Sung said. "He was not asking AI about how to govern; he only checked facts on laws with the AI."

近日，韩国总统李在明和反对派政客利用谷歌的Gemini软件就调查机构负责人是否应该出席内阁会议展开辩论。李在明援引Gemini软件的数据为重案组和检察院院长出席内阁会议辩护，而反对派人士则分享了他们认为支持调查独立性担忧的分析结果。这场争论还延伸到了李在明暂停的刑事审判。李在明表示，他使用Gemini软件是为了核实法律事实，而不是为了决定如何执政。

根据李分享的回应，《政府组织法》将重案调查厅和检察机关置于总统的管辖之下。

反对党国民力量党的金载元表示，Gemini公司警告称，内阁参与可能会造成调查独立性受到损害的印象。

人民进步党议员尹相铉在国会审计中表示，Gemini公司回应称，SCIA总裁定期出席会议是不合适的。

李表示，将各部门负责人排除在公开会议之外并不能确保中立性，并称监督国家事务是总统的权利和职责。

总统府公共关系高级秘书成基洪表示，李明博使用 Gemini 来核实法律事实，而不是询问人工智能如何治理国家。

发布于2026年10月23日下午4:31（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月23日下午5:56（韩国标准时间）

总统对双子座计划的反驳引发反对派政客之间的人工智能逻辑之争

周五，韩国总统李在明在首尔青瓦台出席监管改革会议时，听取了一位与会者的发言。（韩联社）

谷歌的生成式人工智能（AI）Gemini 近日成为韩国政治的焦点，因为总统李在明和反对派政治家都利用该工具在关于调查机构负责人出席内阁会议的辩论中捍卫自己的逻辑。

这场辩论将一场关于调查独立性的争议演变成一场关于人工智能生成的回应的政治较量，一些知名反对派议员在从内阁出席到李显龙暂停的刑事审判是否应该恢复等问题上都引用了Gemini系统。

人工智能应用之争始于周三，当时李在X（前身为Twitter）上发布了一篇题为“我问了Gemini”的帖子，发布了人工智能助手Gemini的回答，以反驳外界对他让新成立的重案调查厅（SCIA）和检察厅厅长参加内阁会议的决定的批评。

在国家情报院首任院长金智溶出席了周二由李在镕主持的内阁会议后，李在镕被任命为国家情报院院长。反对党批评金智溶出席内阁会议，称此举将损害该调查机构的政治中立性和独立性，因为该机构可以调查涉及总统、执政党或政府官员的案件。此前，各调查机构的负责人通常不出席内阁会议，但李在镕自今年1月以来一直呼吁各机构负责人出席。

根据 Gemini 对 Lee 问题的回应，关于最高情报局和检察机关局长不应参加内阁会议的说法与《政府组织法》相矛盾，该法规定这些机构受总统管辖。

李的帖子招致了反对派的批评，反对派认为人工智能的回应不能作为治理国家或证明国家事务合理性的基础。

主要反对党国民力量党（PPP）最高委员会成员金载元表示，他也曾询问 Gemini，出席此次会议是否会削弱人们对调查中立性的信心，而人工智能警告称，此次参与可能会造成独立性受到损害的印象。

金表示，李应该停止利用双子座组织来“把他的毫无根据的说法当作事实来宣扬”。

人民进步党议员尹相铉在国会审计中表示，他也曾就最高情报局局长出席会议一事咨询过Gemini公司。“Gemini公司答复称，定期出席会议并不合适，”尹相铉说道。

人民进步党议员罗京元发表回应，警告称总统监督可能会威胁调查中立性，并指责李在镕“通过带有偏见的问题获得带有偏见的答案”。

前反对党改革党党首李俊锡议员质疑总统援引人工智能来为其决定辩护的判断力。

他在脸书上写道：“如果总统要通过询问双子座来治理国家，为什么不直接用双子座取代总统呢？”

还有一些人引用 Gemini 的回答来攻击李光耀，指责他因贪污指控而受审，而这些指控自他担任总统以来就一直处于中止状态。

“我向 Gemini 询问了总统的审判情况，它告诉我，‘当然应该恢复审判’，”人民进步党领导人张东赫说。

前司法部长官韩东勋（现为独立议员）表示，“即使你把杰米尼的祖父牵扯进来”，总统也绝不能指示进行调查或起诉。

他还表示，李最终必须接受审判，与张成泽一起就总统的法律案件向其发起挑战。

总统周四为自己引用“双子座计划”辩护，称他引用该计划是为了表明批评与基本逻辑和事实相悖，而不是因为他缺乏答案。

他认为，将机构负责人排除在公开会议之外并不能确保中立性。

李说：“监督国家事务是总统的权利和义务。放弃这项权利和义务就构成对宪法和政府组织法的违反。”

青瓦台也否认了李光耀依靠人工智能进行治理的说法。

总统府公共关系高级秘书成基洪周四告诉记者，这种说法歪曲了事实。

宋先生说：“他强调，宪法和政府组织法都是事实，可以通过询问Gemini轻松核实。他并没有向人工智能询问如何治理国家；他只是用人工智能核实了法律条文的事实。”