The National Assembly on Thursday adopted a confirmation report to approve Kim Ji-yong as the inaugural chief of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency.
The Security and Public Administration Committee of the National Assembly adopted the report Thursday afternoon, a day after a 12-hour confirmation hearing on Kim, a former career prosecutor.
During his confirmation hearing, Kim denied that he had a close relationship with former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is now incarcerated in connection with his martial law declaration in 2024.
Kim described Yoon as an example of "a politically motivated prosecutor" during the hearing.
The adoption of the report clears the way for President Lee Jae Myung to approve Kim as the inaugural chief of the crime agency, which was carved out of the prosecutors' office as part of a ruling party-led push to overhaul the prosecution.
The SCIA launched on Oct. 2 without a leader, as the hearing on Kim, who was nominated in early September, was delayed amid a dispute within the liberal bloc over Kim’s alleged role in political interference as a prosecutor in the past.
Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations and communication, said in a radio interview Thursday morning that Kim was the right fit for the position, which he said symbolized the liberal bloc's success in prosecutorial reform.
"Labeling Kim as pro-Yoon based on the facts revealed so far would amount to a political stigmatization," Seong said.
"The priority should be to muster up our energy and efforts to successfully launch the new investigative agency and proceed with a major shift in our criminal justice system."
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