Securing Investigation Staff for October Launch of Serious Crime Investigation Agency and Strengthening Democratic Control Over Police Probes

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) is moving to secure investigators and external experts to ensure the stable establishment of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency (SCIA), which is set to launch in October.

The ministry also plans to establish a system of mutual checks through agencies such as the SCIA and strengthen democratic control over police investigations by empowering the National Police Commission.

Additionally, the ministry will launch an artificial intelligence (AI) service that automatically applies for government benefits available upon pregnancy or childbirth, and set the direction for establishing a comprehensive life-safety plan.

MOIS reported its second-half work plan containing these details to President Lee Jae-myung at the Blue House on the afternoon of the 5th.

MOIS plans to sufficiently secure capable investigators and external experts for the SCIA, prepare the headquarters, six regional local offices, and the Criminal Justice Information System (KICS), and ensure the SCIA is launched without a hitch on October 2.

The ministry also aims to enhance public trust in police investigations by increasing fairness, establish a system of mutual checks through other investigative agencies such as the SCIA, and strengthen democratic control over police investigations by making the National Police Commission operational.

During a preliminary briefing held at the Government Complex-Seoul this morning, Vice Minister of the Interior and Safety Kim Min-jae said, "There are about 130 laws that need to be amended accordingly following the revision of the Criminal Procedure Act," adding, "The Prosecution Reform Promotion Task Force under the Prime Minister's Office is preparing for a batch amendment."

He added, "We have determined that it takes at least two years to install an independent Criminal Justice Information System for the SCIA," and "The alternative is to jointly use the police KICS, where information security and database separation will be important."

MOIS plans to upgrade "AI Government 24" from a simple search and recommendation tool into a service that even processes government benefit applications on behalf of users.

However, to minimize potential issues arising from AI handling applications on behalf of users, the ministry plans to allow applications to be made using shared administrative information only when requirements are clear, such as in cases of pregnancy and childbirth.

Furthermore, the ministry plans to expand the use of the intelligent task management platform "On-AI" to 48 central government ministries by the end of the year and nurture 20,000 public sector AI experts by 2030.

AI will also be applied to safety management.

AI models to prevent flood damage and child abduction crimes are scheduled to be developed, and starting in December, customized safety information tailored to location and circumstances will be provided through AI.

In accordance with the Life Safety Basic Act implemented last May, the ministry will also formulate the direction for a comprehensive life-safety plan, which must be established every five years, for the first time.

The ministry plans to enact the Social Disaster Countermeasures Act by the end of the year and establish the 1st Comprehensive Life-Safety Plan (2028–2032) next year.

In addition, safety infrastructure improvements will be carried out, such as expanding elementary school routes to school and pedestrian-first roads, and high-strength protective safety bollards to prevent vehicle-ramming accidents will be pilot-installed starting in December.

The enactment of the Basic Act on Social Solidarity Economy and the Basic Act on Basic Society will also be pursued.

MOIS's goal is to raise the proportion of the social solidarity economy in the gross domestic product (GDP) to 7% by 2030 and guarantee a basic life across all areas including safety, welfare, education, and culture so that everyone can realize their potential.

In addition, the ministry will secure growth engines for the local economy by creating a total of over 3,000 sunshine income villages at a rate of 700 per year, and expanding the issuance scale of local love gift certificates from 24 trillion won this year to 31.2 trillion won in 2030.

It also plans to build a social solidarity finance infrastructure through support for the creation of private funds.

A pan-governmental fiscal decentralization task force (TF) will be operated to adjust the ratio of national taxes to local taxes from the 75-to-25 level as of 2024 to 70-to-30.

Projects to support local autonomy will also be implemented.

Resident-proposed projects, currently scaled at around 800 billion won, will be increased to over 3 trillion won by 2030, and a "Local Administration Monitoring Corps" will be operated so that residents can monitor local administration and draft policies.

The enactment of the Local Council Act to prevent conflicts of interest among local council members and the Citizen Participation Basic Act to realize citizen-led governance will also be pursued.
 
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.