Kim Jin-wook "Cannot Rule Out Possibility of Independent Operation of Personnel Committee"

Official Letter Sent Today Requesting Re-nomination for Personnel Committee... Director Kim's Decision May Come by the End of This Month

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Kim Jin-wook, Chief of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (Gong-su-cheo), mentioned the possibility of independently operating the Personnel Committee. This concern arises from the fear that if the personnel composition process is delayed, the start of Gong-su-cheo's operations could also be postponed. Internally, April is expected as the start date, but due to difficulties in forming the Personnel Committee, cases filed with Gong-su-cheo continue to accumulate.

According to the legal community on the 17th, Gong-su-cheo plans to deliver an official letter to the People Power Party today, requesting the recommendation of Personnel Committee members. On his way to work that day, Chief Kim told reporters, "We will give about ten more days until the 28th."

Originally, Gong-su-cheo was supposed to receive recommendations for Personnel Committee members from the National Assembly by the 16th, but the People Power Party refused. The Democratic Party of Korea recommended Nagiju, representative lawyer of the law firm Jiyu, and Oh Young-jung, lawyer of the law firm Segwang, as Personnel Committee members on the 10th.

The Personnel Committee is a body that deliberates and decides on matters related to the appointment, transfer, and personnel of prosecutors. It consists of seven members: the Chief and Deputy Chief of Gong-su-cheo, one external expert appointed by the Chief, and two members recommended by each of the ruling and opposition parties.

However, Article 9, Paragraph 6 of the Gong-su-cheo Act stipulates that "matters necessary for the composition and operation of the Personnel Committee shall be determined by the investigation office's regulations." The "Gong-su-cheo Prosecutor Personnel Regulations" also state that "recommendations for Personnel Committee members can be requested in writing, and each negotiation group must recommend members within the requested period," so it is not impossible in practice to form the Personnel Committee excluding the People Power Party's nominees.

Chief Kim also responded during last month's National Assembly confirmation hearing to the question, "If the opposition party's recommendation for Personnel Committee members is delayed, will you forcibly proceed with five members?" by saying, "I naturally expect cooperation from opposition party members, so there is no reason to forcibly proceed."

Moreover, on that day, Chief Kim mentioned the possibility of independently operating the Personnel Committee. He said, "(Independent operation) cannot be ruled out," but added, "However, it is right to uphold the spirit of bipartisan agreement." He further stated, "After all, the law stipulates that both parties recommend two Personnel Committee members each as a consensus, right?" This implies that a decision by Chief Kim may be required by the end of this month.

Separately from the Personnel Committee composition, the document screening for 233 applicants who applied for the open recruitment of Gong-su-cheo prosecutors has also begun. The plan is to check only basic aspects during document and interview screening, and unless there are disqualifying reasons, they are discussing passing all applicants to the Personnel Committee without elimination. Chief Kim said, "We expect the prosecutor interviews to be held as early as the end of this month or early next month," adding, "Due to the large number of applicants, interviews may extend into next month, but we will expedite the process as much as possible."

However, if the personnel composition process is delayed, there is a possibility that the start of full-scale investigative activities could also be postponed. Even if the Personnel Committee is formed without opposition party nominees, the People Power Party may raise issues during the prosecutor selection process. As a result, cases filed with Gong-su-cheo continue to accumulate. Two cases nearing the statute of limitations have already been transferred to the prosecution, and additional transfers are reportedly under internal review.

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