Lawyer Kim Ji-yong, a former prosecutor, has been selected as the final candidate for the inaugural head of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-jung held a briefing at the Government Complex Seoul today (the 7th) and announced plans to recommend Lawyer Kim Ji-yong to President Lee Jae-myung as the candidate for the first chief of the agency.

Kim, who has been serving as the managing partner at Apex Law Firm, is from the 28th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute and has previously served as the head of the Criminal Department at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and as the deputy chief prosecutor of the Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office.

In August 2020, during the tenure of then-Minister Choo Mi-ae, he was promoted to prosecutor general in accordance with the policy favoring prosecutors from the criminal and trial divisions.

While serving as the head of the Criminal Department at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, he oversaw the case-handling system between the police and prosecutors, including police-forwarded cases as well as requests for supplementary and reinvestigations.

He also has experience in special investigations, having served as the head of the Special Investigation Division at the Daegu District Prosecutor's Office in 2014, and has worked across various fields including criminal affairs, trial, and inspection.

Previously, the Serious Crime Investigation Agency Candidate Recommendation Committee reviewed the qualifications and expertise of 11 candidates submitted through public recommendations, and recommended four individuals to Minister Yoon as candidates for the inaugural agency chief: Lawyer Kim, Lawyer Moon Hong-joo, Lawyer Kim Kwan-jung, and Myongji University Professor Lee Yoon-je.

Once Minister Yoon formally recommends Kim for the position, President Lee will request the National Assembly to initiate confirmation hearings for the candidate.

Upon the completion of the National Assembly confirmation hearing process, President Lee will appoint Kim as the inaugural chief of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency to a two-year term.

(Photo: Yonhap News)