Independent inspector general nominee Choi Gil-soo said the Independent Inspector General Act targets presidential-office officials at senior-secretary level and above, placing presidential personal secretary Kim Hyun-ji outside its direct scope as a secretary-level official. Speaking at a National Assembly confirmation hearing on the 18th, Choi distinguished between statutory investigation targets and other subjects, saying related conduct could still be investigated if specific evidence emerged or if Kim had performed duties assigned to covered officials. Opposition lawmakers argued that setting limits before an investigation begins was problematic, while Democratic Party lawmakers said the inspector general must follow the law's defined targets. The hearing also included calls to investigate alleged corruption by senior officials from the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, alongside earlier opposition claims involving Kim and Lee Dong-ho, the eldest son of President Lee Jae-myung. Choi additionally faced questions about his 68-day occupancy of a Paju apartment and said he had bought it in a presale intending to live there.