Interior Minister Yoon Ho-jung "Deeply Apologetic" Over Launch of Serious Crimes Investigation Agency Without Chief

Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-jung stated that he felt "deeply apologetic, although we did our best," regarding the launch of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA) without a chief on October 2.

Minister Yoon made the remark during a parliamentary audit of the ministry conducted by the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee today (October 6), responding to People Power Party Representative Kwon Young-jin's criticism that "the public is feeling anxious and concerned about launching the SCIA without a leader."

The SCIA faces criticism for having effectively "departed with open doors," as it not only lacks a chief but also suffers from a staffing rate of only about 66 percent.

In response to Democratic Party of Korea Representative Kim Young-bae's question regarding plans to fill vacancies at the agency, Minister Yoon stated, "Going forward, we plan to fill about 15 percent through open competitive hiring for experienced professionals, including police officers, lawyers, and accountants," adding, "The remaining 10 percent will be reserved for new recruits next year."

He continued, "Recruiting experienced personnel can begin right away and can be done at any time as vacancies arise," explaining that "special appointments through transfers from the prosecution (public prosecution agency) can be made until April of next year."

Regarding concerns from local governments that the creation of the Future Response Fund would reduce the share of local grant taxes allocated to local authorities next year, Minister Yoon defended the initiative, saying, "The local grant tax rate of 19.24 percent (of internal taxes) remains completely unchanged." He added, "How to handle a 'windfall' situation where fiscal revenues expand required a highly strategic judgment."

He further explained, "The central government is not seeking to spend everything on whatever it wants, but rather to secure strategic investments to prepare for the future," emphasizing that "there is meaningful value in local governments participating alongside the central government's contributions."

Addressing concerns raised by Democratic Party of Korea Representative Park Jeong-hyeon that while local grant taxes serve as unearmarked funds providing fiscal autonomy, the Future Response Fund requires matching local government budgets, Minister Yoon said, "We will strive to minimize the matching burden on local governments."

He added, "There may be concerns that the central government will take leadership in policy decisions when executing the Future Response Fund, but we are also reviewing approaches to entrust the initiative for decision-making and policy design to local governments."

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