The Corruption Investigation Office Preparation Team Holds 2nd Meeting on the 21st... Expected to Accelerate Appointment of the Chief

Nam Gi-myeong, head of the Preparatory Group for the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency (Gong-su-cheo), is presiding over the first meeting of the Advisory Committee of the Preparatory Group for Gong-su-cheo held on the 10th at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The Democratic Party of Korea is expected to accelerate preparations for the establishment of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) following its landslide victory in the 21st National Assembly elections. Particular attention is focused on the appointment of the first CIO chief.

According to the legal community on the 19th, the CIO Establishment Preparation Team under the Prime Minister's Office will hold a second advisory committee meeting behind closed doors at 10 a.m. on the 21st at the Government Seoul Office.

The preparation team, led by former head of the Ministry of Government Legislation Nam Ki-myung, was formed on February 10 with about 20 members dispatched from related ministries including the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Strategy and Finance, and the Ministry of Government Legislation.

The team held its first meeting on the 10th of last month, but that meeting was mainly an introductory session. They reported on the current status of the CIO establishment preparations and mainly discussed future plans. The team plans to hold monthly meetings until the CIO's launch on July 15 to gather opinions from various sectors.

One of the key issues currently is the appointment of the first CIO chief.

According to the CIO Act, a "CIO Chief Candidate Recommendation Committee" must be established in the National Assembly to recommend candidates for the chief position, and National Assembly rules for the operation of the recommendation committee must also be enacted, but this has not yet been done.

The recommendation committee consists of seven members, including one chairperson. The Minister of Justice, the Chief of the Court Administration, and the President of the Korean Bar Association each recommend one member, and the ruling and opposition parties each recommend two members. The committee must have the approval of at least six members to recommend a candidate to the President. The President then nominates one of the two candidates recommended by the committee, and after a confirmation hearing, the final appointment is made.

The Korean Bar Association has been receiving and verifying candidate recommendations from its members until the 10th. After internal procedures, the Bar Association plans to select up to four candidates at the standing board meeting to be held around May or June and submit the list to the recommendation committee.

Meanwhile, the United Future Party’s constitutional complaint filed with the Constitutional Court in February, claiming that the CIO is an "extra-constitutional state agency," could become a variable. The Constitutional Court recently decided to formally accept the case for adjudication.

On the other hand, the prosecution is reportedly closely monitoring the detailed provisions of the clause requiring the prosecution to mandatorily notify the CIO upon discovering corruption among high-ranking officials.

After the passage of the CIO Act and the prosecution and police investigation authority adjustment bill in the National Assembly in January, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office formed the "Prosecution Reform Promotion Team" to provide practical opinions on follow-up procedures related to the establishment of the CIO.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.