Silent on Controversies, Minimizing Events... The Current Status of the Public Corruption Investigation Office on Its 'First Anniversary'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency (HCIA) will mark its first anniversary on the 21st. Although it is a time to celebrate and discuss the upcoming year, the atmosphere is not conducive to that. The HCIA is noticeably withdrawn. It has remained silent amid various controversies and minimized its first anniversary events. This is seen as a reflection of the current state of the HCIA.

The HCIA stated, "The first anniversary event on the 21st at 2 p.m. will be held modestly at the agency building, with only 28 attendees including the chief, deputy chief, department heads, and prosecutors, without inviting any external guests, while strictly adhering to quarantine guidelines." The originally planned press conference by HCIA Chief Kim Jin-wook will not be held this time.

This contrasts sharply with the grand inauguration ceremony held on January 21 last year, which included a plaque unveiling attended by Yoon Ho-jung, Chairman of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee, Choo Mi-ae, Minister of Justice, and others.

The minimization of the event appears to be a choice made to reduce external exposure and avoid taking any stance amid recent controversies surrounding the HCIA.

The 'telecommunication surveillance' controversy has spread the most widely. It was revealed that between August and November last year, the HCIA extensively collected communication records of domestic and international media reporters, politicians, legal professionals, as well as their supporters, family members, acquaintances, and ordinary citizens. This has sparked criticism labeling it as 'telecommunication surveillance.' The Korean Criminal Procedure Law Association has also announced plans to file a constitutional complaint regarding the HCIA's access to telecommunication data.

Additionally, when Rep. Jo Soo-jin of the People Power Party requested the HCIA to disclose the number of telecommunication record collections, the HCIA reportedly responded, "It is difficult to ascertain accurate statistical data," and asked for understanding in not being able to submit it.

The controversies are not limited to telecommunication surveillance. The HCIA has been embroiled in legal disputes over the legitimacy of investigations and search and seizure procedures conducted so far. Regarding the 'accusation inducement' allegations, Rep. Kim Woong of the People Power Party and Son Jun-sung, Human Rights Protection Officer at Daegu High Prosecutors' Office, filed a petition with the court to cancel the HCIA's search and seizure, claiming that the rights of the accused to participate were not properly guaranteed. The court accepted Rep. Kim's petition and canceled the search and seizure, to which the HCIA responded by filing an appeal. The Supreme Court is expected to issue a final ruling soon.

The case involving the leak of the indictment by Seoul High Prosecutor Lee Sung-yoon is also moving in a similar direction. Prosecutors from the former Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation team, who became subjects of the investigation, have filed a petition as well. They claim that the HCIA included prosecutors who were not part of the investigation team at the time as subjects of the investigation and misled the court with false information to obtain search and seizure warrants. If the court accepts their claims, the HCIA is expected to face even greater criticism.

The HCIA has not directly prosecuted any cases, and investigations are sluggish. Investigations into the 'accusation inducement' and 'judge surveillance document creation' allegations, which the agency had focused on, have stalled as they cannot even continue questioning the key suspects. Son Jun-sung, the key figure in both allegations, has been deemed by medical professionals to require up to eight weeks of rest due to deteriorating health, making summons difficult. These two cases involve Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party's presidential candidate. The HCIA is investigating a total of four cases involving Candidate Yoon. Currently, all investigations are expected to conclude only after the presidential election, indicating a bleak outlook for the investigations.

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