KB News Desk
President Lee Jae Myung on Monday nominated prosecutor-turned-attorney Choi Kil-su for the post of independent inspector general.
The post, which requires Assembly confirmation, has been vacant since 2016.
If his appointment goes through, Choi, 59, will be tasked with inspecting any irregularities concerning first lady Kim Hea Kyung, Lee’s families and relatives, as well as Cheong Wa Dae chief secretaries and senior secretaries.
Cheong Wa Dae chief spokesperson Kang Yu-jung described Choi as the right fit to independently perform his duties of preventing corruption and upholding public discipline through his uncompromising nature.
“Guided by the principles that all power must be subject to institutional oversight, Choi will enhance the credibility of the public service through uncompromising oversight on public officials’ irregularities,” Kang said in a briefing Monday.
Introduced in 2014, the vice-ministerial level post has remained vacant since 2016 until Monday’s announcement. Lee Seok-su, who served in the post from 2015 to 2016 when former conservative President Park Geun-hye was in power, was the only independent inspector general in South Korea’s history.
Lee had repeatedly asked for the National Assembly’s recommendation of candidates since his inauguration in June 2025.
Choi, lawyer at South Korea’s law firm Apro, was among three candidates submitted: one by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, one by the main opposition People Power Party and one by the Korean Bar Association. Choi was the Democratic Party’s pick.
