Lee formally appoints inaugural chief of agency in charge of major investigations

President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday formally appointed the inaugural chief of the newly established Serious Crime Investigation Agency (SCIA), which is in charge of major investigations under the interior ministry. Lee approved the appointment after a parliamentary committee adopted a confirmation hearing report for longtime prosecutor Kim Ji-yong, 38 days after Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung recommended him for the post Sept. 7. Earlier in the day, the National Assembly's public administration and security committee adopted the confirmation hearing report, a day after holding Kim's confirmation hearing. The report included both favorable and unfavorable opinions on Kim's suitability for the post. Kim's nomination had drawn opposition from some lawmakers, including members of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), who argued that his appointment could set back prosecution reform, citing his background as a prosecutor under the former Yoon Suk Yeol administration. The Lee administration had ordered additional vetting, and the presidential office later said the allegations against him