President Lee presents appointment certificate to Special Inspector Choi Gil-su

President Lee Jae-myung presented an appointment certificate to Choi Gil-su, the special inspector at the presidential office, on the 30th. He also presented designation certificates to nine people, including special presidential advisers and chairs and vice chairs of presidential committees.

FactSnap

October 30, 2026 at 07:00 PM

President Lee Jae-myung presented an appointment certificate to Choi Gil-su, the special inspector at the presidential office, on the 30th. He presented designation certificates to nine people, including special presidential advisers and chairs and vice chairs of presidential committees.

Kang Yu-jung, chief spokesperson for the presidential office, said in a written briefing that Lee emphasized early responses to problems and prevention during a tea meeting with Choi after the ceremony. Choi was appointed 10 years after the first special inspector, Lee Seok-su, resigned in September 2016. On his first day at work on the 26th, Choi also emphasized monitoring those subject to inspection and strengthening preventive inspections.

Lee urged Kim Kyoung-soo, special adviser for political affairs; Song Young-gil, special adviser for peace and diplomacy; and Kim Byung-joo, special adviser for defense policy, to exercise caution because their words and actions could be interpreted as the government's position. His message was that they should act and speak responsibly and carefully, and he did not cite specific examples.

Lee told Kye Seung-kyun, chair of the Presidential Council on Intellectual Property, and others that presidential committees should play substantive roles rather than merely exist as formal bodies. He asked the experts in each field to offer diverse views frequently, describing the committees as channels for voices from the field and saying he personally reviews their input.

President Lee Jae-myung approved the appointment of Choi Gil-su, the nominee for special inspector at the presidential office, on the 23rd. The appointment came about two months after his nomination on August 24 and one day after the National Assembly adopted his confirmation hearing report, ending a vacancy of more than 10 years.

Kang Yu-jung, chief spokesperson for the presidential office, said the president approved Choi's appointment after the ruling and opposition parties agreed to adopt his hearing report. The National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee had adopted the report at a plenary meeting the previous day, including both assessments of suitability and unsuitability.

The special inspector examines misconduct by the president's spouse, relatives within the fourth degree of kinship, and officials at senior presidential secretary level or above in the presidential secretariat; the term is three years, with no reappointment allowed. An inspection begins when information about misconduct is credible and specifically identifies the conduct, and reports to the president are required immediately upon the start and conclusion of an inspection. Presidential officials at secretary level below senior secretary and personnel of the National Security Office are excluded from the inspection remit.

The special inspector post was created in 2014, and its first holder, Lee Seok-su, resigned in September 2016 after clashing with the presidential office while inspecting then-Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs Woo Byung-woo. The Moon Jae-in administration subsequently left the post unfilled, citing overlapping functions with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, while the Yoon Suk Yeol administration cited the National Assembly's failure to recommend candidates.

President Lee approves Choi Gil-su as special inspector, ending vacancy of over 10 years

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