Analysis'Yoon trauma' shapes battle over new investigative chief

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.