SUWON — Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae reaffirmed at a parliamentary audit her opposition to the nomination of Kim Ji-yong as head of the new Serious Crimes Investigation Agency.
Speaking at the National Assembly Public Administration and Security Committee's audit of Gyeonggi Province, held on the afternoon of the 13th at Yulgok Hall in the provincial government building, Choo responded to a question from People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Young-jin by saying, "Nominee Kim is not only a pro-Yoon prosecutor but, as a public official, I believe he is unfit for that post."
Earlier that morning, when People Power Party lawmakers Park Sang-woong and Suh Myung-ok asked for her position on the nomination, Choo declined to answer directly, saying it was "not appropriate to answer in the setting of a parliamentary audit." But when Kwon pressed her again in the afternoon session, she restated her previous opposition.
Choo has repeatedly posted critical views on the nomination on her social media accounts.
She also pushed back against the point that she had promoted Kim to the rank of chief prosecutor during her tenure as justice minister. "The Moon Jae-in administration appointed Yoon Suk-yeol as prosecutor general, and that ended in insurrection," she said. "Promoting someone does not mean vouching for that person in full."
"It is true that I have spoken about nominee Kim on a continuing basis," she added. "Based on my experience in public office, I laid out precisely, with grounds and examples, why he is highly unsuited to be the agency's first commissioner."
Choo also rejected suggestions that her public remarks amounted to a political maneuver. "If someone who knows this stays silent, it will become a historic failing," she said. "I spoke for the country, based on my sense of responsibility and my conscience."
She added, "What I have presented as grounds can be thoroughly examined at the confirmation hearing scheduled for the 14th, with a sense of public duty."
Responding to speculation that she is positioning herself for the next presidential election by taking a confrontational stance toward President Lee Jae-myung and stepping into national politics, Choo said, "If I were making a run at the presidency, I would be better off hiding the fiscal situation and borrowing money to curry favor with residents — that is what wins applause."
"I cannot be indifferent to whether residents are saddled with the burden of their tax money," she said. "In conscience and in law, I cannot do that."