Lee Jae Myung invokes Gemini in dispute over prosecution chiefs at Cabinet meetings

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung defended his plan to invite the chiefs of two newly established prosecution and investigation agencies to Cabinet meetings in an October 21 post titled ‘I asked Gemini,’ according to The Korea Herald. The proposed change in Seoul would break with a decadeslong convention and has drawn objections over the agencies’ independence.

The proposed attendees are the heads of the Public Prosecution Office and the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency. The Korea Herald identified Kim Ji-yong as chief of the latter and reported that the Public Prosecution Office’s top post was vacant. Lee defended their attendance as a matter of presidential oversight; his opponents say it could make the agencies appear subject to presidential control.

Lee’s argument for Cabinet attendance

Lee said allowing Kim to attend would align with ‘constitutional responsible government.’ He argued that blocking the plan would place investigative and prosecutorial bodies outside democratic control. Those are Lee’s arguments for the proposal, which The Korea Herald described as a plan rather than an attendance arrangement already put into effect.

Opponents raise concerns about investigative independence

Opponents contend that a seat at Cabinet meetings could give the public the impression that investigative and prosecutorial authorities answer to the president. The dispute comes amid concerns described by The Korea Herald that splitting the prosecution into two bodies could weaken checks on powerful politicians. The article reported those concerns as political objections, not an established consequence of the reorganisation.

People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won criticised Lee’s post on Facebook, accusing him of using loaded questions to obtain biased answers from Gemini. Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, a former People Power Party chair, argued in his own social media response that a president cannot direct investigations or prosecutions. The post’s title prompted speculation that Gemini generated part of Lee’s argument; whether it did so is unconfirmed.

Kim’s appointment preceded this dispute. In an October 19 briefing, the presidential office said Lee had presented him with an appointment letter and urged him to handle matters according to principle, regardless of political sides. The Korea Herald reported on October 21 that Lee was seeking to invite Kim and the future Public Prosecution Office chief to Cabinet meetings; it did not report that either had attended one.