Interior Minister: Separation of Investigation and Indictment Must Not Divide Responsibility for the Public

Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-jung emphasized, "Even if investigation and indictment are separated, the responsibility toward the public must not be divided," adding, "Each agency must faithfully perform its role while establishing a seamless cooperative system to ensure there are no gaps from the beginning to the end of a case."

During his congratulatory speech at the opening ceremony of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency (hereinafter referred to as the SCIA) held today (Oct. 2), Minister Yoon stated, "Following fierce discussions and coordination among the National Assembly, the government, and various sectors of society, the SCIA has finally been launched today as the fruit of reform, marking a major transformation in the criminal justice system that has continued for the past 78 years."

He continued, "The launch of the SCIA is not the end of reform. Reform is not automatically completed just because the institution has changed," and noted, "What is important is that the new system operates according to its original intent and brings about substantial changes in the lives of the people."

He then urged, "To achieve this, not only the SCIA but all criminal justice agencies, including the National Police Agency and the Prosecution Service, must cooperate closely with one another."

Minister Yoon remarked, "The mission entrusted to the SCIA is to handle crimes committed by the most powerful individuals in our society while protecting the rights of the most vulnerable," and requested, "I hope you will become an investigative agency that looks solely to the public, investigating strictly according to the law and principles without wavering under any power or status."

The SCIA was launched today with a scale of 1,900 personnel, which is 66.1% of its total authorized strength of 2,874.

Established alongside the abolition of the Prosecutors' Office in accordance with the prosecution reform under the Lee Jae-myung administration, the SCIA will be responsible for investigating seven major crimes: corruption, economic crimes, defense acquisition, narcotics, national protection, cybercrime, and the crime of judicial distortion.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.