President appoints special prosecutors

[Anchor]

President Lee Jae-myung appointed three special prosecutors last night (6.12).

As soon as he received the candidate recommendations, he appointed them immediately without delay.

Reporter Choi Yoo-kyung reports on the background of this swift appointment.

[Report]

President Lee Jae-myung made a sudden appointment of the 'three special prosecutors' last night.

He appointed Cho Eun-suk, the former acting head of the Board of Audit and Inspection, as the special prosecutor for the insurrection case, Min Joong-ki, the former chief judge of the Seoul Central District Court, as the special prosecutor for the Kim Keon-hee case, and Lee Myeong-hyeon, the former senior official of the Ministry of National Defense's prosecution office, as the special prosecutor for the Marine death case.

It came just about eight hours after the Democratic Party and the Rebuilding Korea Party recommended the candidates.

As if determined not to delay even a day longer, the appointment was announced at 11:09 PM.

From the passage of the special prosecutor law to the cabinet’s approval and the president’s appointments, the entire process took only one week—well ahead of the legally set deadline, showing a clear “speed strategy.”

[Kang Yu-jung/Presidential Office Spokesperson: "We expect a thorough investigation to uncover the truth through a swift and fair investigation that meets the expectations of the people."]

Within the ruling party, the appointment of the special prosecutors in the middle of the night was interpreted as a message demanding a swift and responsible investigation.

Since they had been pushing for the special prosecutors even before the government was launched, it seems there was a judgment that there was no reason to delay the process any further.

[President Lee Jae-myung/June 2: "We must find all those responsible for the insurrection and accurately uncover the truth..."]

The People Power Party, which was excluded from the special prosecutor recommendations, expressed its opposition.

They criticized that the purpose of the special prosecutors is not to investigate but to 'suppress the opposition' and 'political revenge,' calling it a "pre-determined investigation" and "the prelude to dictatorship."

[Kim Yong-tae/Chairman of the People Power Party Emergency Response Committee: "Even if they come up with some investigation led by individuals with strong pro-government tendencies, can the public really accept it...?"]

The three special prosecutors are expected to begin their full-scale investigations around early next month after a maximum preparation period of 20 days.

This is KBS News, Choi Yoo-kyung.