Kim Osu: "Prosecutor Personnel Restructuring Needed Following the Establishment of the Public Corruption Investigation Office"

[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] Kim Osu, the nominee for Prosecutor General, expressed the view that a reorganization of personnel within the prosecution is necessary.

On the 24th, in a written response submitted to the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, Kim was asked about the "plan for reorganizing the prosecution's direct investigation personnel after the establishment of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO)." He replied, "In light of the establishment of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and the adjustment of investigative authority, as well as the implementation of new criminal laws, it seems necessary to appropriately reorganize personnel related to the prosecution's direct investigations."

Unlike his responses to questions asking him to evaluate the personnel appointments by former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae and Minister Park Beom-gye, to which he replied "inappropriate, please understand," he emphasized the necessity of organizational changes within the prosecution due to the adjustment of investigative authority.

However, when asked "how will discussions be conducted regarding personnel appointments between the Minister of Justice and the prosecution," he expressed optimism, stating, "Recently, the Ministry of Justice announced that it will conduct the procedure of listening to the Prosecutor General's opinions on personnel matters transparently." He added, "If appointed as Prosecutor General, I will actively present opinions to the Ministry of Justice to ensure that personnel appointments are made fairly based on prosecutors' abilities and qualifications."

In the legal community, it is expected that after Kim passes the confirmation hearing, the Ministry of Justice will carry out personnel appointments within the prosecution. Moreover, since Minister Park is currently pushing for a reorganization of the prosecution, it is highly likely that there will be significant personnel changes. In fact, the reorganization plan prepared by the Ministry of Justice includes reducing the prosecution's direct investigative functions and strengthening cooperation with the police in accordance with the adjustment of investigative authority.

First, the violent crime divisions at local prosecutors' offices will be consolidated into an Anti-Corruption and Violent Crime Division. At the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, the Violent Crime Criminal Division will be renamed the Anti-Corruption and Violent Crime Investigation Cooperation Division, and the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 1 and 2 will be renamed Anti-Corruption and Violent Crime Investigation Division 1 and 2. This measure reflects the fact that investigative authority over violent crimes such as drug offenses has been transferred to the police due to the adjustment of investigative authority. Instead, a Human Rights Protection Division (tentative name) will be established to handle requests for supplementary investigations and reinvestigations related to the police. Since the police organization has grown larger with primary investigative authority granted to the police, this division is expected to play a role in checking the police.

At the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, a Financial and Securities Crime Investigation Cooperation Unit will be newly established to respond to financial and securities crime investigations. This is similar to the Joint Securities Crime Investigation Unit that was abolished during former Minister Choo Mi-ae's tenure. However, since prosecutors in the cooperation unit may not be assigned direct investigations, it is uncertain whether it will function effectively.

Meanwhile, regarding the so-called "complete removal of prosecution's investigative authority," such as the establishment of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, Kim avoided a direct answer, stating, "The priority task is to promptly stabilize new systems such as the adjustment of investigative authority and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials." He also emphasized, "It is important that in-depth discussions among experts and public consensus are prerequisites, and that the state's anti-corruption response capabilities are not weakened."

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