The row over Kim Ji-yong’s nomination as the first head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA) ostensibly centers on his record as a prosecutor, including allegations that he was aligned with Yoon Suk Yeol, a former prosecutor-turned-president. But the deeper issue may be anxiety within the ruling camp that the new investigative body, despite being created to separate investigation from prosecution, could operate beyond the government’s control and give rise to another Yoon-like political figure. That concern is rooted in the political aftershock of Yoon’s rise. As prosecutor general under the liberal Moon Jae-in government, he gained national prominence through investigations involving figures close to the president. His clashes with the administration helped turn him into a symbol of resistance to political power — an image that later became a key asset in his successful presidential campaign. For the ruling camp, that episode showed how one investigator can turn legal authority and high-profile cases into political capital. The separation of investigative and prose