[Inside Chodong] Hosiuhaeng (Eyes of a Tiger, Steps of an Ox) and the HCIC

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] "Devote yourself to your duties with the attitude of hosiuhaeng (虎視牛行 ? having the eyes of a tiger and moving forward like an ox)."

Kim Jin-wook, Chief of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (HCIC), gave the idiom 'hosiuhaeng' to the prosecutors appointed for the first time after the launch of the HCIC. This was meant to encourage perseverance in consideration of public concerns about investigative capabilities due to manpower shortages.

Now, eight months before its launch anniversary, the HCIC has once again become the center of controversy. Amid allegations of 'prosecution request manipulation' involving former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl shaking up the presidential election scene, the HCIC's every move is causing further political repercussions.

Whether it is 'prosecution request manipulation' or a 'political plot' has yet to be determined, but everyone was surprised by the HCIC's unprecedented speed of investigation. Considering that the HCIC's first investigation, the special hiring irregularity allegations against Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon, only conducted a search and seizure after more than 20 days, the current HCIC's actions resemble a tiger rather than an ox.

The reason was simple but the explanation was insufficient. The HCIC cited the urgency of securing evidence due to the nature of the case and the increasing risk of evidence destruction over time. However, the additional explanation that the forced investigation was conducted "in response to media demands" was enough to spark controversy over political neutrality.

After his appointment in June, Chief Kim stated at his first press briefing, "Even if a complaint or accusation is received, the HCIC does not immediately register it as a case but conducts investigation and analysis first." However, the HCIC registered former Prosecutor General Yoon as a suspect despite no evidence indicating his involvement in the 'prosecution request manipulation' allegations. It would be understandable if the investigation and analysis had been completed to the extent that forced investigation was launched just four days after receiving the complaint.

The search and seizure process at the office of Kim Woong, a member of the People Power Party and the core of the controversy, was also not smooth. While some view it as a clear illegal act obstructing the lawful investigative activities of an investigative agency executing a court-issued warrant, it provided grounds for a dispute over the truth.

The HCIC claims that before the office search, they presented the warrant, which included the scope of the search covering the member's office and annex, to Kim Woong in front of his residence. On the other hand, Kim strongly denied this, saying he was unaware of the office search. According to the HCIC's explanation, there was no procedural problem, but legal circles regret that the search was not conducted in the presence of the involved parties and that basic procedures of forced investigation, such as additional confirmation through a proxy during the search, were missed.

The resumed search three days later also ended empty-handed. The staff PC, which was the subject of controversy during the previous search, was excluded from the investigation, and data extraction through keyword searches was reportedly not conducted. During the first search, the HCIC faced backlash for conducting keyword searches on the PC for terms such as 'Cho Kuk,' 'Jung Kyung-shim,' 'Miae,' and 'Osu,' which was criticized as an 'illegal search and seizure.'

Although they said they would move forward like an ox, the HCIC's attitude toward this case is more like a tiger. Unless it is a covert agency, if it proceeds with preconceived notions and does not thoroughly investigate based on facts and evidence, the number of people questioning it will inevitably increase.

Only six months remain until the presidential election. Since the HCIC has stepped into handling a critical case that could influence the presidential primary, Chief Kim must promptly demonstrate neutrality and fairness to the public. If this ends as a 'controversy caused by an investigative agency less than a year old,' the public might impose imprisonment instead of immunity.

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