Gov. Cuomo’s political life in the hands of Korean-American lawyer

The investigation into sexual harassment allegations against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will be led by Korean-American lawyer Joon Kim, who served as the acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Foreign media reported that the political life of Gov. Cuomo, who was once hailed as a pandemic hero and potential presidential contender, is now in the hands of a Korean-American lawyer.

According to The New York Times on Monday (local time), New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that lawyers Joon Kim (picture) and Anne L. Clark will lead the state’s independent investigation into accusations against Gov. Cuomo. The New York governor initially asked to appoint an investigator of his own choosing but the Attorney General refused his request and named Joon Kim to lead the investigation. The move appears to be aimed at securing independence of the investigation since the subject of the investigation is a prominent politician in the Democratic Party and the incumbent governor.

Joon Kim was born in 1971 in Los Angeles and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1996. He joined the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York in 2000, moved to a law firm in 2006, and returned to the U.S. Attorney’s office in 2013. He served as the acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York from March 2017, taking over for Preet Bharara, and led 220 state attorneys. According to the U.S. Justice Department, Kim has experience in a wide range of federal crimes, including murder, money laundering, narcotics offense, and terrorism, prosecuting organized crime syndicates, including gangs and the Mafia. Currently, Kim has been in private practice since 2018. The Associated Press said Kim was known as being detail-oriented while also having a good sense of humor.

“These are serious allegations that demand a rigorous and impartial investigation,” said Kim in a statement on Monday. Kim was involved in the prosecution of top Cuomo aide Joseph Percoco, on corruption charges. Five women have come forward to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment.


Eun-Taek Lee nabi@donga.com