Serious Crime Investigation Agency to Conduct Second Round of Special Appointments for Prosecutors; Applications Accepted Through the 20th

[Financial News] The Serious Crime Investigation Agency will conduct a second round of special appointments for prosecutors and staff of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea (SPO) ahead of its launch on the second of next month. The move is seen as a response to the urgent need to secure personnel after one in four applicants in the first round withdrew their applications.
The Preparatory Task Force for the Opening of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) announced on the 15th that it would conduct a second round of special appointments to secure additional SPO personnel with practical experience, ensuring the agency’s smooth launch and the early stabilization of its operations.
Eligible applicants include prosecutors; Grade 7 or higher civil servants in the prosecution and narcotics investigation services; and general-service civil servants in fields such as information technology and broadcasting and communications. Applications will be accepted from today through the 20th via the task force’s designated email address.
Given that the Serious Crime Investigation Agency is scheduled to launch on the second of next month, the task force decided not to establish a separate withdrawal period. It plans to complete the selection process by the end of this month and appoint the selected personnel in stages to coincide with the agency’s opening.
Under the supplementary provisions of the Act on the Organization and Operation of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, civil servants affiliated with the SPO may receive special appointments to the Serious Crime Investigation Agency through April 30, 2027. When the SPO is abolished on the second of next month, their affiliation will change to the Public Prosecution Office.
In the first round of special appointments, 2,376 people applied, but 615 reportedly withdrew their applications by the 31st of last month. The final number of applicants therefore stood at 1,761, or 61.3% of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency’s authorized staffing level of 2,874. Most of those who withdrew are reportedly prosecution investigators who had handled investigative work.   
[email protected] Kim Dong-gyu Reporter