Prosecution Office Chief Prosecutor Appointment Begins in Earnest… Kim Jin-wook "If Recommendation Delays, Will Reset Deadline"

Director Kim "Will Urge"... "Document Review Committee Composed of Professors and HR Experts"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Kim Jin-wook, Chief of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (hereinafter referred to as the HCIO), stated that if the opposition party delays recommending members for the personnel committee responsible for selecting prosecutors, a new deadline will be set.

On the 15th, while heading to the Government Complex Gwacheon, Kim told reporters, in response to the question, "How do you plan to respond if the opposition party does not make recommendations by the deadline of the 16th?" that "We will set a new deadline and urge them," adding, "I don't think we can give much time." The personnel committee consists of seven members: the Chief, the Deputy Chief, one person appointed by the Chief, two members recommended by the ruling party, and two members recommended by the opposition party. They review candidates who have passed the document screening and interview stages.

According to the HCIO Act, decisions by the personnel committee require the approval of the majority of the members present. Although decisions can be made with the three members recommended by the HCIO and the two members from the ruling party, the opposition party's recommended members are necessary to form the committee. The Democratic Party recommended lawyers Na Ki-ju and Oh Young-jung as members on the 10th, but it is widely expected that the People Power Party will miss the deadline of the 16th.

Even if the opposition party makes recommendations, evaluations of HCIO prosecutors by both ruling and opposition parties may differ, potentially causing significant delays in selecting candidates. Political conflicts during the personnel committee's deliberations are a representative issue. Previously, Kim stated regarding this matter, "If there are disagreements within the committee, I will try to persuade them as much as possible."

However, the document screening of the 233 applicants who applied by the deadline on the 4th will begin this week independently of the personnel committee's formation. Candidates who pass the document screening will undergo interviews before being referred to the personnel committee. In the interview stage, unless there are disqualifying reasons, no candidates are expected to be eliminated. Inside the HCIO, considering the risk of infringing on the personnel committee's authority, there is a plan to rank candidates and then forward all of them to the committee. Regarding the prosecutor selection, Kim said, "The document screening committee is composed of professors and personnel experts," and "The interview schedule will be coordinated once the interview panel is formed."

Rules necessary for investigative work are also planned to be finalized within this month. Similar to the Prosecutors' Case Handling Rules, these will include provisions necessary for the HCIO's case acceptance, investigation, and decisions, and detailed plans are reportedly being developed through internal and external consultations.

Meanwhile, Kim maintained his previous stance on the investigation of the first case, saying, "We need to have the investigation team somewhat organized before making a decision." When asked if there were any cases transferred from other investigative agencies, he replied, "Not yet."

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