Kim Ji-yong Named Final Candidate for First Head of Serious Crime Investigation Agency; Interior Minister Says "Investigative Expertise and Organizational Management Experience Were Considered"

[Financial News]  
Attorney Kim Ji-yong, former deputy chief prosecutor of the Gwangju High Prosecutors’ Office, has been nominated as the candidate to become the first head of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, which will launch on October 2. A former prosecutor has been selected to lead the agency, the first head of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency under the new criminal justice system separating investigations from indictments. The government cited his experience investigating serious crimes and his organizational management skills as key reasons for the appointment.
Yun Ho-jung, minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS), said at the Government Complex Seoul on the 7th, "Respecting the recommendation of the Candidate Recommendation Committee for the Head of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, I decided to nominate Kim Ji-yong from among the candidates."
Kim Ji-yong was born in Buyeo County, Chungcheongnam-do, graduated from Sungkyunkwan University’s College of Law, and is a graduate of the 28th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute. He began his career as a prosecutor at the Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office and went on to serve as chief of the Special Investigations Division at the Daegu District Prosecutors’ Office, chief of the Trial Division 2 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, and director of Inspection Division 1 at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office of the Republic of Korea (SPO). He later served as chief prosecutor of the Chuncheon District Prosecutors’ Office, chief of the Criminal Affairs Department at the SPO, and deputy chief prosecutor of the Gwangju High Prosecutors’ Office. After leaving the prosecution service in 2023, he began working as an attorney. He is regarded as having extensive experience not only in investigations but also in trials, inspections, and leading prosecutorial organizations.
Yun cited investigative expertise, fairness and neutrality, and organizational management experience as reasons for nominating Kim. He said, "The Serious Crime Investigation Agency must establish the new criminal justice system, which separates investigations from indictments, in the field while dispelling concerns about an investigative vacuum during its early days. We determined that investigative expertise in serious crimes, fairness and neutrality throughout the investigative process, and the experience and leadership needed to guide a newly established organization steadily are of the utmost importance." He added, "We expect Kim to build a Serious Crime Investigation Agency that places the protection of citizens’ human rights above all else, drawing on the experience and capabilities he has accumulated over the years."
Earlier, on the 4th, the Candidate Recommendation Committee for the Head of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency recommended four people to Yun: attorneys Kim Kwan-jung, Kim Ji-yong, and Hong-Ju Moon, along with Lee Yun-je, a professor in the Department of Law at Myongji University. A total of 23 people applied during the public recommendation process held from the 19th to the 26th of last month, and 11 who agreed to the screening process proceeded to the actual review. The committee said it had comprehensively assessed the candidates’ expertise and experience in investigating serious crimes, fairness and neutrality in the investigative process, awareness of human rights, and leadership to guide a newly established organization. The four candidates were recommended unanimously by the committee members.
If Kim is appointed, he will be responsible for building the Serious Crime Investigation Agency’s first organizational structure and establishing its investigative system when it launches on October 2. The head of the agency holds vice-ministerial rank and serves a two-year term. Kim will be appointed by the president after a parliamentary confirmation hearing.

[email protected] Lee Bo-mi Reporter