People Power Party representative Jang Dong-hyeok is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 24th. [Yonhap News] 

On the 24th, the People Power Party stated that it would "thoroughly verify" the nomination after President Lee Jae-myung appointed Choi Gil-soo, managing partner at law firm Apro, as the special inspector candidate recommended by the ruling party.

Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sik wrote on Facebook that day, "We will do our utmost to verify whether he is qualified to serve as a special inspector to rigorously monitor the misconduct of the President's relatives and presidential aides."

Floor Leader Jeong added, "It is regrettable that the President did not appoint the person recommended by the People Power Party, who had not been consulted with him beforehand, but in any case, a special inspector candidate has been nominated after 447 days."

He further remarked, "I presume the Democratic Party recommended candidate Choi Gil-soo after prior consultation and face-to-face reports with the President, out of 'respect' for the President's power of appointment," and added, "The Blue House’s explanation claiming that the ruling party-recommended candidate is a 'neutral figure not biased toward a specific party or faction' only invites ridicule."

Park Sung-hoon, the party's chief spokesperson, issued a commentary stating, "The People Power Party welcomes the normalization of the special inspector role for the first time in 10 years," but criticized, "Now that we have opened the lid, there are more concerns than expectations. It is essentially as if the power that is supposed to be monitored has chosen an inspector recommended by its own political ally."

He continued, "As he begins his role with the label of 'ruling party nominee,' candidate Choi must prove his political neutrality and independence through actions, not words," and pointed out, "Whether the special inspector will become a watchdog of power or a shield for the administration now depends on President Lee Jae-myung and candidate Choi."

Meanwhile, referring to the acceptance of the resignation of Minister of Justice Jeong Seong-ho, Floor Leader Jeong noted, "The resignation of Acting Prosecutor General Goo Ja-hyun, who expressed his intent to resign to take responsibility for the abolition of the authority to request supplementary investigations prior to Minister Jeong, has still not been accepted."

He demanded, "The Blue House must explain why it has only accepted Minister Jeong Seong-ho's resignation while refusing to accept Acting Prosecutor General Goo Ja-hyun's resignation for over two weeks."