Kim Ji-yong Named Inaugural Chief of Serious Crime Investigation Agency With 25 Days Until Launch

With attorney Kim Ji-yong selected as the candidate for the inaugural head of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency (SCIA) ahead of its launch on Oct. 2, the formation of the newly established organization is gaining momentum.

While the inaugural head is expected to be appointed in late September following a National Assembly confirmation hearing, the SCIA is also accelerating efforts to secure investigative personnel in its early stages through special appointment candidate selections and career-competitive recruitment.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-joong decided to select attorney Kim from among four candidates recommended by the SCIA Candidate Recommendation Committee and formally recommend him to the President.

Minister Yoon evaluated the candidate, stating, "He is an investigation and legal expert who has accumulated extensive experience in criminal justice fields such as investigation, inspection, and trial," adding, "He also has experience stably managing organizations while serving in leadership positions at major investigative agencies." Previously, the Recommendation Committee selected four candidates on Sept. 4 and recommended them to Minister Yoon: attorney Kim Kwan-jung, attorney Kim Ji-yong, attorney Moon Hong-joo, and Myongji University Law Professor Lee Yoon-je.

The Recommendation Committee narrowed down the final candidate pool by evaluating 23 individuals submitted through public recommendations who agreed to undergo the screening process, assessing their expertise in serious crime investigation, fairness, human rights awareness, and leadership to guide the new organization.

Once Minister Yoon recommends the candidate to the President, the President makes the final appointment following a National Assembly confirmation hearing.

The term of office for the head of the SCIA is two years and cannot be renewed.

Regarding the timing of the inaugural chief's appointment, Minister Yoon previously projected it would be around late this month, considering the National Assembly confirmation hearing process and other factors.

If the personnel appointment process proceeds as scheduled, the inaugural chief will immediately lead the SCIA upon its launch on Oct. 2.

With 25 days left until the launch, as the appointment process for the inaugural head to lead the organization enters full swing, final preparation work such as organizing the SCIA's structure and personnel deployment is expected to accelerate further.

The SCIA will launch with a total personnel size of 2,874 across its headquarters and six regional offices in Seoul, Suwon, Daejeon, Daegu, Busan, and Gwangju.

This includes 2,567 investigators and 307 general public officials.

However, the process of securing the investigative personnel needed in the early stages of the launch is still underway.

For the special appointments targeted at prosecutors and investigators from the Prosecutors' Office, 2,376 people initially applied, but 615 of them (25.9%) withdrew, reducing the final applicants to 1,761.

This means roughly one in four applicants withdrew their intention to move to the SCIA.

The final number of applicants is at the level of 61.3% of the SCIA's total quota of 2,874.

The Opening Preparation Team plans to select actual appointees this month by considering preferred work locations, experience, and expertise among them.

Separately, career-competitive recruitment is underway targeting police officers, attorneys, accountants, and patent attorneys, and additional special appointments for officials from the Prosecutors' Office (Office of Public Prosecution) will also be pursued.

Additional special appointments can be made until April 30 of next year.

The SCIA investigates seven major crimes: corruption, economic crimes, defense acquisition crimes, narcotics, state-protection crimes including insurrection and foreign aggression, cybercrimes, and the crime of distorting the law.

As the appointment process for the inaugural chief and the recruitment of personnel must be carried out simultaneously, how well the organization builds its structure during the remaining period is expected to determine the SCIA's early stabilization after its launch.

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