Kim Osu "We Must Actively Respond to Financial Crimes"... Holds Reserved Position on 'Reinstatement of the Joint Investigation Unit'

Nominee for Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo is arriving at the personnel hearing preparation office set up at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 12th. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Prosecutor General nominee Kim Osu has stated that "we must actively respond to financial crimes," but he has reportedly withheld his position on reviving the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office Joint Securities Crime Investigation Unit (Joint Investigation Unit), which was abolished last year.

According to the legal community on the 13th, Kim reportedly expressed to those around him his thoughts regarding concerns from some quarters that "the prosecution's capability to investigate financial crimes has declined since the abolition of the Joint Investigation Unit."

The Joint Investigation Unit was a non-permanent organization where specialized personnel from the Financial Services Commission, Financial Supervisory Service, National Tax Service, and others were dispatched as needed to analyze securities crime data and support investigations alongside prosecutors. However, former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae abolished the unit shortly after taking office in January last year, labeling it a "hotbed of corruption." Kim was the Deputy Minister of Justice at that time.

However, regarding recent remarks by Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye suggesting the revival of the Joint Investigation Unit, Kim reportedly said, "I do not know the specific details of the minister's considerations about the Joint Investigation Unit, so I cannot express a position for or against it." The Ministry of Justice is currently reviewing measures to strengthen the prosecution's capabilities in investigating financial crimes, including the possible revival of the Joint Investigation Unit.

Meanwhile, on the same day, Kim rebutted allegations from the office of People Power Party lawmaker Jang Je-won, who claimed that Kim evaded taxes by gifting jeonse funds to his son before his son's wedding, stating, "Of the 200 million KRW jeonse funds given to my son, 50 million KRW was returned after the wedding, and I fully paid gift tax on the remaining 150 million KRW."

Regarding the 50 million KRW returned by his son, Kim responded, "It was arranged by my son and his spouse, and the specific details are part of their private life, so it is difficult to confirm."

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