Seoul:The presidential office has responded to media criticism suggesting that the attendance of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency (SCIA) chief at Cabinet meetings could threaten the impartiality and independence of investigations.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the controversy arose after Kim Ji-yong, the chief of the SCIA, attended a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday for the first time since his appointment. This attendance breaks from the established tradition of investigation chiefs not attending such meetings, prompting media concerns over potential compromises to the independence of investigations.
President Lee Jae Myung addressed these concerns in a social media post, asserting that chiefs of all government institutions under his authority are permitted to attend Cabinet meetings. Despite this, some media outlets have raised alarms about the possible impact on the impartiality of investigations.
Seong Ghi-hong, the senior secretary for the press, emphasized the government's commitment to maintaining fairness and political neutrality in investigations. He clarified that individual investigation cases or indictment instructions would not be topics of discussion during Cabinet meetings.
Seong further stated that the purpose of Cabinet meetings is to share the government's administrative philosophy and current issues with government body leaders. He rejected the notion that attending such meetings implies political control over investigative bodies.
In a subsequent post, President Lee reiterated his stance, arguing that excluding the SCIA chief from Cabinet meetings would conflict with constitutional principles and common sense. He warned that such exclusion could be interpreted as relinquishing command and supervision of the SCIA, potentially leading to impeachment or criminal charges for dereliction of duty.