Seoul, April 19: South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has reiterated his demand for the National Assembly to expedite the appointment of a Special Inspector General. This official will investigate corruption cases linked to the president’s family and other officials, as revealed by a senior aide on Sunday.
During a press briefing, Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik stated that President Lee aims to establish this independent inspector general to monitor any wrongdoing involving the president’s wife and close relatives. He believes this will enhance discipline among government officials and strengthen public trust.
Former Presidents Moon Jae-in and Yoon Suk-yeol did not appoint anyone to this position. Yoon and his wife, Kim Geon, have been imprisoned since August on multiple corruption charges. They are accused of receiving free opinion poll results worth 2.7 billion won (approximately $183,000) from an individual claiming to be influential. In return, they allegedly helped secure a candidacy for former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Young-sun in the June 2022 by-election.
Kang emphasized, “President Lee believes that the appointment of an inspector general is essential for democracy and the principle of public sovereignty, as all powers should be monitored through institutions.”
He added, “The president is fully committed to this, and we request the National Assembly to resume this process as soon as possible.” The position of the independent inspector general was established in 2014 during the presidency of Park Geun-hye but has remained vacant since 2016.
According to the law, the National Assembly must propose three candidates with at least 15 years of legal experience, from which the president will select one. Lee had promised during his election campaign to fill this position promptly, but there has been little progress in the Assembly so far.
Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
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