Rival parties have agreed to adopt the confirmation report for Choi Gil-soo, the nominee for special inspector, on the 22nd. The report will include both qualified and disqualified opinions regarding the nominee, marking progress in the appointment process that has been stalled for over a month since last month's hearing.
Kim Ui-gyeom, the ruling party's representative on the National Assembly's Legislative Judiciary Committee, announced on the afternoon of the 19th that "an agreement has been reached between the ruling and opposition parties to adopt the confirmation report with both qualified and disqualified opinions during the full committee meeting on the 22nd, amid the National Assembly's audit of the prosecution service."
Choi completed his confirmation hearing on the 18th of last month, but the delay in adopting the report has prevented his appointment. The Democratic Party has pushed for the adoption of a qualified opinion, while the People Power Party has insisted that a disqualified opinion must also be included.
Prior to reaching this agreement, both parties engaged in a back-and-forth over who was responsible for the delay in processing the report.
In a previous announcement, Kim stated, "Given that the special inspector requires neutrality and independence, we have worked to adopt a qualified opinion through bipartisan agreement. However, the opposition party did not agree to the qualified opinion, which hindered progress." He claimed that he proposed the adoption of the report on the day of the hearing, but the opposition did not agree, and cooperation was also lacking during the full committee meeting on the 21st of last month, leading to further delays.
In response, Park Hyung-soo, the opposition party's representative on the committee, countered, "We did not oppose the adoption of the report itself, but rather disagreed with the qualified opinion regarding the nominee. We have already conveyed our willingness to agree to the adoption of a report that includes a disqualified opinion and urged the Democratic Party to proceed with it."
The same debate continued during the National Assembly's audit of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office. People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo pointed out that the report containing both qualified and disqualified opinions for the head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency was adopted on the same day he was appointed, asking, "Why is the special inspector, who oversees corruption in the Blue House, not being appointed? Please expedite the appointment process."
President Lee Jae-myung also addressed the appointment of the special inspector during a press briefing at the Blue House, stating, "I have continuously requested a prompt appointment, but I hear the opposition party is against it." He added, "Nevertheless, I have instructed to explore any possible methods to proceed with the appointment."
If the report is adopted as planned and the president proceeds with the appointment, it will fill a vacancy that has persisted for nearly a decade. The special inspector is responsible for overseeing the conduct of the president's spouse, relatives within four degrees of kinship, and high-ranking officials, including senior secretaries to the president. This position has remained unfilled since the resignation of former special inspector Lee Seok-soo in 2016, spanning both the Moon Jae-in and Yoon Suk-yeol administrations.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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