Speed of Selecting Public Officials Crime Investigation Unit Prosecutors... Personnel Committee to Convene on 12th to Discuss Criteria

Personnel Committee Formation Completed, Prosecutor Interviews to Start Soon... First Investigation Possible in April

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The first convening of the Personnel Committee of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (Gong-su-cheo) has been confirmed for the 12th. Once the committee establishes the general criteria for selecting prosecutors, interviews will begin immediately. The investigator interviews are scheduled for early next month, and the first official investigation is expected to be possible by mid-April.

On the 8th, Gong-su-cheo Chief Kim Jin-wook met with reporters on his way to the Government Gwacheon Complex and announced that the Personnel Committee would be convened for the first time on the 12th, where appointment letters will be given to the members and plans for selecting prosecutors will be reported.

The day before, Chief Kim appointed Lee Young-joo, head of the Human Rights Counseling Center at Seoul National University’s Human Rights Center, as the final member of the Personnel Committee. Lee, who graduated from the Judicial Research and Training Institute in 1993, has served as Chuncheon District Prosecutor General, Planning Director at the Judicial Research and Training Institute, and Deputy Director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute. She is the second female prosecutor general in history and the only woman among the Personnel Committee members of Gong-su-cheo.

With this, the Personnel Committee is composed of Chief Kim, Deputy Chief Yeo Woon-guk, ruling party recommended lawyers Na Ki-ju and Oh Young-jung, opposition party recommended lawyers Yoo Il-jun and Kim Young-jong, and Lee Young-joo. Among them, four members are former prosecutors: three recommended by both ruling and opposition parties and one appointed by the chief. Two members, the chief and deputy chief, are former judges, and one ruling party member is a lawyer.

The Personnel Committee plans to conduct a second round of verification after receiving the interview results. According to the Gong-su-cheo Act, among the 25 prosecutors including the chief and deputy chief, those with a prosecutor background cannot exceed half. However, Chief Kim has stated that he intends to select as many former prosecutors as possible. The committee will recommend candidates who pass verification to the president within twice the number of planned hires, and the president will make the final appointment.

Internally, Gong-su-cheo expects the investigative organization to be fully established by April. Among the more than 400 complaints and accusations currently received, cases with imminent statute of limitations have been transferred to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, while the rest are being reviewed by Chief Kim, Deputy Chief Yeo, and prosecutors dispatched from the prosecution.

Regarding the investigation into the alleged illegal travel ban of former Deputy Minister of Justice Kim Hak-ui, Chief Kim is still considering whether Gong-su-cheo will investigate or re-transfer the case to the prosecution. On the day, Chief Kim said, "We are still reviewing," and added, "I said we would decide within this week." The case involving the accusation of witness tampering against the investigation team of former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook was transferred to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office considering the case details and the approaching statute of limitations.

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