[Anchor]

The Investigation Office for Major Crimes, which has taken over the investigative functions of the prosecution service that were abolished after 78 years, officially launched yesterday (October 2). Stepping up to the podium at the opening ceremony in the absence of a chief, the deputy head of the office emphasized "restraint" as the top principle for investigations.

Reporter Shin Yong-il has the details.

[Reporter]

The opening ceremony was held at the office of the Investigation Office for Major Crimes in Jung-gu, Seoul.

This marks its official launch about six months after the passage of the Act on the Investigation Office for Major Crimes last March as part of the prosecution reform under the Lee Jae-myung administration.

All existing investigative functions of the prosecution have been transferred to the office.

Organized under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety rather than the Ministry of Justice, the agency will exclusively handle investigations into seven major crimes, including corruption, economic offenses, and defense acquisition, while also taking charge of supplementary investigations for crimes targeting vulnerable social groups.

[Yoon Ho-jung / Minister of the Interior and Safety: Even if investigation and prosecution are separated, the responsibility toward the public must not be divided.]

With no chief appointed yet, the deputy head of the office who took the podium pledged that restrained investigations would be the top priority while also emphasizing a strict response to major crimes.

[Jeon Jong-min / Deputy Head of the Investigation Office for Major Crimes: The Investigation Office for Major Crimes will make restraint its highest principle. We will become an investigative agency that is resolute in the face of major crimes, yet infinitely cautious when it comes to the freedom and rights of the public.]

On its very first day of operation, around 10 complaints and accusations were filed even before the opening ceremony concluded, including a complaint under the law on judicial distortion targeting a frontline police officer as the office's first case.

However, because the launch was rushed without sufficient preparation time, public inconvenience and damage are inevitable until basic infrastructure, such as computer networks, basic furniture, and facilities, gets on track.

(Camera: Kang Si-woo | Video Editing: Kim Yoon-sung | Design: Seo Seung-hyun)