Prosecutors' Office Targets 1,700 Active and Reserve Generals

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] When the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) is launched, the number of investigation targets within the military is expected to reach about 1,700 general officers. Inside the military, there are concerns about 'disciplinary crackdown' surveillance investigations, but at the same time, there is hope that the chronic occupational crimes that have been quietly overlooked within the military may be eradicated.

According to military officials on the 30th, the CIO's investigation targets are general officers. It is expected to include about 400 active-duty officers and about 1,300 retired reservists. The number of reservists reflects the fact that the statute of limitations for occupational crimes is up to 15 years, and reservists employed by defense companies are also included. The Ministry of National Defense dispatched two legal officers and one legal non-commissioned officer for six months from February to July to prepare for the establishment of the CIO. Considering that the Ministry of National Defense sent four military prosecutors to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration's (DAPA) Defense Business Investigation Division at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, it is also open to additional dispatches if the CIO requests the joining of military prosecutors.

The reason why there is a forecast that the current government’s military internal disciplinary crackdown will become a surveillance investigation is because the CIO has powerful authority. According to Article 8, Paragraph 4 of the CIO Act, CIO prosecutors exercise the authority of both prosecutors and military prosecutors. The investigation targets include abuse of power, dereliction of duty, disclosure of official secrets, and falsification of official documents. CIO prosecutors can investigate the Ministry of National Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, each military staff headquarters, each military command, and subordinate units at any time for criminal investigations.

Some expect this to be an opportunity to root out chronic corruption that has been prevalent within the military. In the case of the Army, the number of internal whistleblowing reports reached 89 last year, the highest ever. This is more than three times the 26 cases in 2016. There is an expectation that if the CIO moves, it could help block occupational corruption.

It can also reveal connections between general officers and defense companies, as well as leaks of military secrets. In September, a confidentiality leak charge was detected at the Agency for Defense Development (ADD). According to ADD’s own investigation, among 1,078 retirees over the past 4 years and 4 months (January 2016 to last April), 46 were found to be suspects of leaking secrets. Including 23 others who were already under police investigation for the same charges, the total reaches about 70 people. In particular, some ADD employees resigned and joined defense companies en masse after the employment restriction targets were expanded last year. According to the government officials’ ethics committee’s employment review status over the past five years (2014?2019), retired military officers (colonel and above) applied for employment screening at defense companies 88 times. Except for 17, all succeeded in employment.

There are also voices expressing concerns about the side effects of performance-driven investigations. To eradicate defense business corruption, the military and prosecutors have conducted joint investigations since 2014. The investigative authorities revealed various corrupt projects worth nearly 1 trillion won and stated that a total of 63 people, including 10 current and former general officers, were prosecuted. However, the former Chief of Naval Operations, who was arrested and indicted for defense corruption, and the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was sentenced to prison in the first trial for defense corruption and detained in court, were consecutively acquitted by final rulings.

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