Empty Civil Petition Office at Serious Crime Investigation Agency... Only 4 Cases Handled One Month After Launch

[Anchor]

Next, let's look at the situation at the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, which was established exclusively to handle serious crimes. With only four cases concluded so far, there are evaluations that it is virtually in a state of suspended business.

This is followed by a report from reporter Shin Yong-il.

[Reporter]

At around 11:20 AM, a bit early to be called lunchtime, employees of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency and others are streaming out of the office building to have lunch.

Around the same time, however, not a single person can be found in the civil petition office.

[Nearby Restaurant Employee: The atmosphere hasn't changed much. (Do complainants or petitioners come here too...?) There is nothing like that. Only the employees come when they work overtime to have meals.]

Following the launch of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency on October 2, the inaugural chief, Kim Ji-yong, showed confidence.

[Kim Ji-yong / Chief of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency (October 19): Even right now, we are sufficiently capable of conducting investigations to a certain extent with our own personnel. However, it is still the initial stage.]

However, the number of cases concluded and forwarded by over 1,000 employees across six regional serious crime investigation offices nationwide stands at just four.

All of these cases were handled by the Seoul Regional Serious Crime Investigation Agency, while the remaining five regional offices have not processed a single case.

It is virtually in a state of suspended business.

A shortage of personnel is pointed out as the primary cause.

The agency launched with only 66 percent of its quota of approximately 2,800 personnel filled, and full-scale recruitment has yet to be carried out.

Because it is the early stage of its launch, practical rules and manuals have not been established, and basic investigative infrastructure such as the criminal justice information system has not been fully completed, which are cited as reasons why it is difficult for the agency to perform its proper role.

The agency maintains its stance that it will prevent investigative vacuums, but with office interior renovations still incomplete, it is expected to take a considerable amount of time for the agency to function properly.

(Video by Kang Dong-chul, Video Editing by Lee So-young, Design by Jang Sung-bum)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.