On the 8th, nominee Kim Ji-yong for commissioner of the Major Crime Investigation Agency said, "If I am given a chance to work, I will do my best to stabilize the organization quickly so that there is not the slightest gap in the nation's response to major crimes."
That afternoon, Kim reported for his first day to the confirmation hearing preparation team office set up at the annex in Changseong-dong of Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul, saying, "My shoulders are heavy with the weighty sense of responsibility."
Kim also said, "In this grave time, I will do my utmost to ensure the agency takes root early," adding, "We will make sure there are no public concerns, and do our best so that no member of the public feels wronged during investigations."
However, Kim did not answer most questions. In response to criticism that he expressed opposition to "complete deprivation of prosecutorial investigative authority" during his tenure as a prosecutor, he said, "I will faithfully clarify during the hearing process."
Regarding criticism from the ruling camp that appointing a former prosecutor as the nominee for commissioner of the agency runs counter to the purpose of prosecutorial reform, he said, "I will explain in detail during the hearing process."
On suspicions that during his time as a prosecutor he owned a rental apartment in Seongnam while living on a jeonse lease in Bundang-gu, he said, "The public may be curious," adding, "It's my first day, so it's difficult to go into detail."
Asked how he would secure the agency's political neutrality and independence in investigations, he said, "Fairness, neutrality, and procedural justice are very important," but added, "I will speak in detail at the hearing."
On the previous day, Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-jung recommended to President Lee Jae-myung Kim Ji-yong, former Vice Minister of the Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office (prosecutor general rank), as the inaugural nominee for commissioner of the Major Crime Investigation Agency. Minister Yoon explained, "Nominee Kim is an investigative law expert who has accumulated sufficient experience in criminal justice fields such as investigation, inspection, and trial."
Kim, a native of Buyeo, South Chungcheong Province, is currently an attorney at law firm Apex. After graduating from Kongju National University High School attached to the college of education and Sungkyunkwan University law school, he began as a prosecutor at the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office and went on to serve as head of the special investigations department at the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office, head of Trial Division 2 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, head of Inspection Section 1 at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, chief prosecutor at the Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office, head of the Criminal Affairs Bureau at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, and vice chief prosecutor at the Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office. He then left the prosecution in Nov. 2023.