Jeongsoocheong Organization and Headcount Confirmed... How Many Prosecutors Will Join?

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The organizational structure plan for the Serious Crime Investigation Agency (Jeongsoocheong), which is set to launch in October, has been finalized. Various special exceptions have been offered to bring in prosecutors, making the key question how much investigative capability Jeongsoocheong will be able to secure, including prosecutorial personnel.

Reporter Yun Nara has the details.

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The organizational structure and headcount for the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, which will launch to handle major crime investigations following the abolition of the Prosecutors' Office on October 2, have been finalized.

Jeongsoocheong will consist of a headquarters and six regional branch offices, with a total workforce of 2,874 personnel.

[Kim Min-jae / Vice Minister of the Interior and Safety: It will specialize in investigating the seven major serious crimes stipulated by law, including corruption, economic crimes, defense acquisition, narcotics, national protection, cybercrimes, and the crime of distorting the law.]

Joint investigation organizations will be established in Seoul, Suwon, and Daejeon, receiving dispatched personnel from other agencies such as the Financial Services Commission and the National Tax Service, to investigate crimes that heavily impact people's livelihoods, such as voice phishing.

A special investigation team for crimes against the socially vulnerable will also be established to handle supplementary investigations requested by Prosecution Service prosecutors from other investigative agencies.

Experts analyze that securing existing prosecutorial personnel is the key for Jeongsoocheong to minimize gaps in initial investigations and secure expertise.

When asked whether they would be able to fill the positions before the October launch, a government official stated, "We cannot guarantee how many prosecutors will apply," adding only that they "will do our best."

To this end, the government has allowed prosecutors and prosecution investigators to be appointed to Jeongsoocheong without separate examinations on a temporary basis until next April.

Special exceptions were also put forward to grant incumbent prosecutors ranks equivalent to Grades 1 to 4 while maintaining their previous salaries and retirement ages.

This means equivalent treatment will be provided, such as Grade 1 for District Prosecutors' Office head levels, Grade 2 for deputy and senior prosecutor levels, Grade 3 for those with 10 or more years of legal experience, and Grade 4 investigators for prosecutors with less than 10 years of experience.

If investigations are not conducted in a timely manner due to a shortage of investigative personnel, the damage could ultimately fall upon ordinary citizens.

[Baek Won-ki / President of the Korean Association of Law Professors: When an investigative department is not formed and investigations cannot proceed, victims have no choice but to wait if their damages are not remedied.]

Additionally, standards for transferring cases currently under direct investigation by the prosecution and methods of cooperation with the Prosecution Service still need to be established.

(Photo: Cho Choon-dong | Video Editing: Chang Hyun-ki)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.