Yoon Ho-jung, the Minister of the Interior and Safety, issued an inspection directive against Im Eun-jung, the head of the Gwangju Major Crimes Investigation Agency, who has been critical of Kim Ji-yong, the candidate for the head of the Major Crimes Investigation Agency. Im expressed her feelings, stating it is "sad and unfortunate."
On October 11, Im wrote on her Facebook, "While rushing to Gwangju, I received numerous calls informing me of the news about the inspection directive. Although I am not the first candidate for the Major Crimes Investigation Agency, it is quite unfortunate and sad that I have become the first target of inspection."
She continued, "During my time in the prosecution in December 2012, I exercised my right to object against a superior's directive to issue a blank sentence in a historical review case, and I posted a petition for disciplinary action on the internal network, which led to severe disciplinary action for damaging my dignity. I won the lawsuit to cancel the disciplinary action, which resulted in the establishment of regulations for the right to object and improvements in the illegal practice of issuing blank sentences in historical review cases."
Im added, "As the first target of inspection in the Major Crimes Investigation Agency, I will handle it with a sense of duty."
On the same day, Minister Yoon announced on his X (formerly Twitter) account that he had directed an inspection against Im, who has been critical of Kim.
Yoon remarked, "It seems that Im is confusing the Major Crimes Investigation Agency, which is not an investigative body, with a political institution. Many citizens are concerned about the appearance of a senior official of a newly established agency, which aims to uphold justice in public corruption, economic, cyber, and drug crimes, being preoccupied with criticizing the candidate for the head of the agency." He expressed worries that the past practices of political interference and collective actions in the prosecution might be carried over to the new agency.
This directive from Yoon follows a message from President Lee Jae-myung on October 9, addressing hardliners on X.
At that time, President Lee stated, "While pure radicalism may be a problem, it is even more problematic when those who lack the ability demand high positions and attempt to manipulate personnel or national policies according to their wishes, only to resort to radical reform as a justification for internal attacks when things do not go well." Although the president did not mention specific individuals, political circles interpret this as a message aimed at lawmakers opposing Kim's appointment and Im.
Im, known for her internal criticism during her time in the prosecution, has consistently opposed Kim's appointment through her Facebook since he was nominated as the first candidate for the Major Crimes Investigation Agency.
In particular, Im has publicly demanded clarification on Kim's stance regarding incidents that occurred during his tenure as a senior prosecutor, including the sexual assault case involving Jin Dong-kyun, the brother-in-law of independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, and the Channel A incident (the alleged collusion between the prosecution and media).
* This article has been translated by AI.
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