Background checks on members of the incoming Yoon Suk Yeol government will be conducted by the justice ministry and the national police agency, shifting away from the authority of the senior secretary for civil affairs. 

Yoon's spokesperson Kim Eun-hye said on Tuesday that the presidential office will retain the ability to make personnel recommendations. But it will be the justice ministry and the police that verify the suitability of potential nominees for the Cabinet and other high-level posts.

Kim said the administration will consider practices similar to those in the U.S., where the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other agencies take charge of personnel vetting.

The statement comes one day after the president-elect said the senior secretary for civil affairs post would be scrapped. The spokesperson explained its inspection and intelligence-gathering duties have often led to surveillance of civilians, abuse of power and rights violations.

She added that the new presidential office will only focus on looking after the people's livelihoods by drawing up and enacting related policies.