[ANALYSIS] 'Yoon trauma' shapes battle over new investigative chief

The nomination of Kim Ji-yong as the first head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency has intensified debate within the ruling camp over whether the new body could produce another politically influential prosecutor. Critics question Kim’s 24-year prosecutorial career and past positions on prosecution reform, while President Lee Jae Myung supports allowing his nomination to proceed. The National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee is expected to hold a confirmation hearing in the coming weeks.

Kim participated in a 2020 statement by senior prosecutors seeking reconsideration of disciplinary action against then-Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae against Yoon Suk Yeol.

Kim publicly opposed abolishing prosecutors’ supplementary investigative authority in 2022, saying the position reflected concern about gaps in protecting crime victims.

The SCIA chief could compel testimony, seize evidence and shape public narratives around major cases even without authority to indict.

The interior ministry submitted Lee’s confirmation-hearing request to the National Assembly after Lee approved it on Thursday.

Published Oct 6, 2026 7:00 am KST

Updated Oct 6, 2026 1:39 pm KST

SCIA leadership remains vacant amid ruling party rift

Kim Ji-yong, nominee for the inaugural head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, arrives at the agency’s launch-preparation office in Seoul, Friday. Newsis

The row over Kim Ji-yong’s nomination as the first head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA) ostensibly centers on his record as a prosecutor, including allegations that he was aligned with Yoon Suk Yeol, a former prosecutor-turned-president.

But the deeper issue may be anxiety within the ruling camp that the new investigative body, despite being created to separate investigation from prosecution, could operate beyond the government’s control and give rise to another Yoon-like political figure.

That concern is rooted in the political aftershock of Yoon’s rise. As prosecutor general under the liberal Moon Jae-in government, he gained national prominence through investigations involving figures close to the president. His clashes with the administration helped turn him into a symbol of resistance to political power — an image that later became a key asset in his successful presidential campaign.

For the ruling camp, that episode showed how one investigator can turn legal authority and high-profile cases into political capital. The separation of investigative and prosecutorial functions does not necessarily eliminate that possibility, experts say. The head of an agency that can compel testimony, seize evidence and shape public narratives around major cases can retain substantial political influence even without the authority to indict.

That concern helps explain the intense scrutiny of Kim’s nomination. For hard-liners in the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), including Rep. Kim Yong-min, the nominee's 24-year career as a prosecutor and his past positions raise doubts about his suitability to serve as the inaugural leader of the SCIA.

“If a former prosecutor leads the SCIA and its senior ranks are filled with former prosecutors, the agency could become closely linked with the Prosecution Service. That could effectively reunite investigative and prosecutorial functions,” Kim wrote in a recent social media post, adding that it could undermine the reform and “mark a return to the old system.”

Rep. Park Ju-min of the DPK made a similar point, citing Yoon’s reversal after his confirmation hearing as prosecutor general. Yoon had voiced strong support for prosecutorial reform, but became a “different person” after taking office, Park said during a YTN radio interview Monday.

Critics point to the nominee's participation in a 2020 statement by senior prosecutors calling for reconsideration of then-Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae’s disciplinary action against Yoon, as well as his public opposition in 2022 to abolishing prosecutors’ supplementary investigative authority. Kim has said his position on supplementary investigations reflected concern over potential gaps in the protection of crime victims, and that he supports the current reform.

Hong Hyeong-sik, a political analyst, told The Korea Times that the confrontation should also be viewed in the context of what he described as the ruling bloc’s aggressive push to reform the prosecution. It had generated worries that prosecutors and their broader professional networks could eventually mount a counterattack against the politicians that led the reform drive, he said.

President Lee Jae Myung, meanwhile, has defended Kim as a candidate. For Lee, the priority is to install a capable investigative professional and ensure the SCIA’s stable launch. His decision also signals resistance to party hard-liners seeking to influence the personnel and institutional direction of the new agency.

“While I cannot say that he is a 100 percent perfect candidate, he does not appear to be someone whose opportunity for a parliamentary hearing should be denied despite being recommended by the public, shortlisted by an independent recommendation committee and nominated by the interior minister,” Lee wrote in a social media post on Friday.

Dispute within the ruling camp has also drawn criticism from Rep. Han Dong-hoon and other right-wing politicians.

After Rep. Choi Min-hee of the DPK called for scrutiny of whether Kim was “on Han Dong-hoon’s side,” Han, a former prosecutor, accused the ruling party of turning the nomination into a test of political loyalty.

“The DPK has effectively admitted that its standard is not competence or qualifications, but whose side he is on,” Han wrote on social media.

Following Lee’s approval of the confirmation hearing request on Thursday, the interior ministry submitted it to the National Assembly the next day. The Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee is expected to hold a hearing in the coming weeks.

金智溶被提名为重罪调查厅首任厅长，引发执政阵营内部关于新机构是否会产生另一位具有政治影响力的检察官的激烈争论。批评人士质疑金智溶24年的检察官生涯及其过去在检察改革方面的立场，而总统李在明则支持推进其提名。预计国会公共行政安全委员会将在未来几周内举行确认听证会。

金参与了 2020 年高级检察官发表的声明，该声明要求重新考虑对时任法务部长官秋美爱因尹锡烈而采取的纪律处分。

金在2022年公开反对废除检察官的补充调查权，称这一立场反映了对保护犯罪受害者方面存在的漏洞的担忧。

即使没有起诉权，SCIA 局长也可以强制证人作证、扣押证据并塑造重大案件的公众舆论。

李在周四批准确认听证请求后，内政部将李的请求提交给了国会。

发布于2026年10月6日 上午7:00（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月6日下午1:39（韩国标准时间）

执政党内部出现分裂，SCIA领导层仍然空缺

周五，重罪调查厅首任厅长提名人金智勇抵达位于首尔的该机构启动筹备办公室。

围绕金智勇被提名为重案调查厅（SCIA）首任厅长的争议，表面上集中在他作为检察官的记录上，包括有指控称他与前检察官、现任总统尹锡烈有联系。

但更深层次的问题可能是执政阵营内部的焦虑，即尽管新成立的调查机构旨在将调查与起诉分开，但它可能会不受政府控制地运作，并催生出另一个像尹锡悦那样的政治人物。

这种担忧源于尹锡悦崛起带来的政治余波。作为文在寅自由派政府的检察长，他通过调查与总统关系密切的人物而声名鹊起。他与政府的冲突使他成为反抗政治权力的象征——这一形象后来成为他成功竞选总统的关键因素。

对执政阵营而言，那次事件表明，一名调查员如何能将法律权力和备受瞩目的案件转化为政治资本。专家指出，调查和检控职能的分离并不一定能消除这种可能性。即使没有起诉权，一个能够强制证人作证、搜集证据并围绕重大案件塑造公众舆论的机构负责人，仍然可以保持相当大的政治影响力。

这种担忧有助于解释金的提名为何受到如此严格的审查。对于执政的朝鲜共同民主党内的强硬派人士，包括金永民议员，金的24年检察官生涯及其过往的职务，都让人怀疑他是否适合担任最高情报院院长一职。

金在最近的一篇社交媒体帖子中写道：“如果由一位前检察官领导最高情报局，并且其高级官员也都是前检察官，那么该机构可能会与检察机关紧密联系在一起。这实际上可能会使侦查和检察职能重新合二为一。”他还补充说，这可能会破坏改革，并“标志着旧体制的回归”。

共同民主党议员朴柱珉也表达了类似的观点，他以尹锡悦在检察长任命听证会后态度转变为例。朴柱珉周一在接受YTN电台采访时表示，尹锡悦曾强烈支持检察改革，但上任后却“判若两人”。

批评人士指出，金某曾参与2020年高级检察官发表的一份声明，呼吁重新考虑时任法务部长官秋美爱对尹某的纪律处分；此外，他还在2022年公开反对废除检察官的补充调查权。金某则表示，他对补充调查权的立场源于对保护犯罪受害者方面可能存在的漏洞的担忧，并支持当前的改革。

政治分析家洪亨植告诉《韩国时报》，这场对抗也应该放在执政联盟积极推进检察改革的背景下看待。他说，这引发了人们的担忧，即检察官及其更广泛的专业网络最终可能会对主导改革的政治家发起反击。

与此同时，李在明总统力挺金某担任该职位。李在明认为，当务之急是任命一位能力出众的调查专家，确保国家情报院稳定运作。他的决定也表明，他抵制了党内强硬派试图干预新机构人事和机构发展方向的企图。

李在周五的社交媒体帖子中写道：“虽然我不能说他是一个百分之百完美的候选人，但他似乎并非那种即使得到公众推荐、独立推荐委员会入围、并由内政部长提名，也不应该被剥夺国会听证机会的人。”

执政阵营内部的纷争也招致了韩东勋议员和其他右翼政客的批评。

在民主党议员崔敏熙呼吁审查金是否“站在韩东勋一边”之后，前检察官韩东勋指责执政党将提名变成了对政治忠诚度的考验。

“朝鲜民主主义人民党实际上已经承认，他们的标准不是能力或资格，而是他站在哪一边，”韩在社交媒体上写道。

李在镕周四批准确认听证请求后，内政部于次日将其提交国会。预计国会公共行政与安全委员会将在未来几周内举行听证会。