The special inspector system, designed to monitor the conduct of the president's relatives and senior aides, has been revived after nearly a decade.
President Lee Jae-myung approved the appointment of Choi Gil-soo as the special inspector on October 23, filling the vacancy that has existed since the resignation of the first special inspector, Lee Seok-soo, in September 2016.
Kang Yoo-jung, the Blue House spokesperson, announced that President Lee signed off on Choi's appointment after the National Assembly adopted a confirmation report through bipartisan agreement.
The special inspector role was introduced during the Park Geun-hye administration but remained unfilled after the resignation of the first inspector, with no successors appointed during the administrations of Moon Jae-in and Yoon Suk-yeol. Choi will serve as the second special inspector.
Prior to this, the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee approved the confirmation report for Choi during a full committee meeting the previous day, 34 days after the confirmation hearing held on September 18.
The report included opinions on Choi's qualifications, noting his experience in oversight during his tenure as a prosecutor, while also raising concerns about potential limitations in his ability to conduct independent oversight as a candidate recommended by the ruling party.
The special inspector is tasked with overseeing the conduct of the president's spouse, relatives within the fourth degree of kinship, and public officials at the level of senior secretary or higher in the presidential office. This role aims to prevent corruption linked to power dynamics surrounding the presidency.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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