Yun Ho-jung: "The Launch of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency Is Not the End of Reform ... Responsibility Must Be Shared Even If Investigations and Prosecutions Are Separated"

[Financial News] Yun Ho-jung, minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS), called on the Korean National Police Agency, the Public Prosecution Office and other criminal justice institutions to establish seamless coordination in connection with the launch of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency on the 2nd. "Even if investigations and prosecutions are separated, responsibility to the people must not be divided," he said. Describing the agency's launch as "a major transformation of the criminal justice system that has continued for the past 78 years," he stressed that investigative agencies must not be swayed by power or status.
In a congratulatory speech at the opening ceremony for the Serious Crime Investigation Agency that day, Minister Yun said, "Just two years ago, we experienced firsthand how vulnerable the democracy we had worked so hard to protect and nurture could become when attacked by extremist forces during the insurrection crisis."
He continued, "However, our people, as sovereign citizens, overcame that crisis on their own," adding, "The will of the people was to restore justice in our society and ensure that state power is exercised solely for the people."
Minister Yun stated, "That demand also contained the people's stern order to properly reform the criminal justice system."
He explained that the current administration adopted "completing prosecutorial reform through the separation of investigations and prosecutions" as a key state task when it took office. The purpose of the reform, he emphasized, is to separate investigative and prosecutorial powers that had been monopolized by a particular institution and ensure that the state's extensive investigative authority is exercised in a way that provides stronger protection for citizens' fundamental and human rights.
Minister Yun said, "After intense discussions and coordination among the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, the government and all sectors of society, the Serious Crime Investigation Agency has finally been launched today as the fruit of that reform, marking a major transformation of the criminal justice system that has continued for the past 78 years."
Regarding the role of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, he emphasized both the investigation of serious crimes and the protection of socially vulnerable people.
Minister Yun stated, "The Serious Crime Investigation Agency has a duty to rigorously investigate serious crimes that threaten democracy and a fair free-market order," adding, "It must also faithfully carry out the mission of protecting the human rights of socially vulnerable people." He continued, "Dealing with crimes committed by the most powerful people in our society while protecting the rights of those with the least power—that is the mission entrusted to the Serious Crime Investigation Agency."
He urged the agency, "Please become an investigative institution that is not swayed by any power or status, investigates solely according to the law and principles, and looks only to the people."
Minister Yun stated, "As chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and head of the party's Special Committee on Prosecutorial Reform in the 21st National Assembly, I worked to establish the institutional foundation for prosecutorial reform and advance the separation of investigations and prosecutions." He added, "Now, as minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, I have been involved in today's launch, from recommending the first chief of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency to designing its organization and institutions."
Minister Yun said, "Now that the concerns and efforts we have pursued have come to fruition, I will fulfill my responsibility with the resolve to ensure that the Serious Crime Investigation Agency takes firm root with the trust of the people."
However, he emphasized that the reform of the criminal justice system would not be complete with the launch of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency alone. Minister Yun stated, "What matters is that the new system operates as originally intended and brings about tangible changes in people's lives." He added, "To achieve that, all criminal justice institutions—including the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, the Korean National Police Agency and the Public Prosecution Office—must cooperate closely with one another."
He emphasized, "Even if investigations and prosecutions are separated, responsibility to the people must not be divided. Each institution must faithfully carry out its role while building a seamless coordination system so that no gaps arise from the beginning to the conclusion of a case."
Minister Yun urged, "Only then can the new criminal justice system become fully established in the lives of the people," adding, "Let us join forces so that every citizen can personally feel that the change we are beginning today is intended to provide stronger protection for fundamental and human rights."
[email protected] Lee Bo-mi Reporter