[Exclusive] Police Launch 'Serious Crimes Investigation Agency Preparatory Team' Ahead of Prosecution

The preparatory committee for the launch of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency is set to be established at the end of this month. The police have begun assembling a team of dispatched personnel, focusing on those who will handle anti-corruption and narcotics crimes, as well as international cooperation work-moving faster than the prosecution.

According to a comprehensive report by The Asia Business Daily, the National Police Agency announced on the afternoon of the 14th that it is recruiting police officers to be dispatched to the preparatory committee for the launch of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency. The positions are for a total of seven officers: two superintendents, four senior inspectors, and one inspector. The dispatch period will last until the official launch of the agency. However, there is a provision that their tenure may be extended for operational and support purposes after the agency is established.

Seodaemun-gu Police Agency, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

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The responsibilities assigned to the police encompass the full range of investigative powers to be transferred to the new agency, from anti-corruption, fair trade, and narcotics investigations to international cooperation work. The two superintendent-level officers will focus on building anti-corruption investigative personnel and infrastructure, as well as establishing cooperation systems for fair trade and economic crime investigations. The four senior inspector-level officers will be responsible for managing wanted persons, overseeing travel bans, reviewing matters related to escort and custody equipment, handling international cooperation and extradition cases, and managing agencies related to narcotics crime investigations. The inspector-level officer will support the development and integration of the Korea Integrated Criminal Justice System (KICS).

The Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, which will be newly established alongside the abolition of the Prosecution Service, is scheduled to officially open on October 2 this year. Set up under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the new agency will investigate six major crime categories: corruption, economic crime, defense industry crime, narcotics, insurrection and foreign exchange crimes, and cybercrime. Its initial workforce will comprise approximately 3,000 people, and it is expected to handle around 20,000 cases annually. The Prosecution Service will retain only indictment and prosecution maintenance functions, with investigative functions removed.

The preparatory committee, headed by the vice minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, will operate for one year until the end of April next year. The office will be located in the annex of the Changseong-dong Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul, with occupancy expected as early as the end of this month.

The Serious Crimes Investigation Agency is expected to be staffed largely by former police and prosecution investigators. How to assign ranks to the initial personnel transferred from the police and prosecution is a key topic of interest. As of today, the prosecution has not yet initiated procedures such as public recruitment for personnel to be dispatched to the preparatory committee.

A government official stated, "With less than six months remaining until the agency's launch, all investigation-related regulations and various internal rules need to be revised," adding, "There are many issues to address, such as where to locate the agency and how to structure the workforce composition, so the preparatory committee personnel will play a substantive role."

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