Choi Jae-min takes office as head of Seoul Regional Serious Crimes Investigation Agency... “Political neutrality must be maintained... Past mistakes must not be repeated”

[Financial News] Choi Jae-min officially took office on the 7th as the inaugural chief of the Seoul Regional Serious Crimes Investigation Agency. He named political neutrality and investigations conducted in accordance with law and principle as his top priorities. With the organization not yet fully equipped, he urged its members to take ownership as founding members and help stabilize it.
At an inauguration ceremony held at 10 a.m. that day on the second floor of the Seoul Regional Serious Crimes Investigation Agency at Rene Square in Jung-gu, Seoul, Chief Choi said, “Please conduct investigations fairly in accordance with law and principle.” About 100 people attended, including bureau and department heads and investigators from the Seoul agency.
“We have witnessed at close quarters what happens when investigative agencies fail to maintain political neutrality and lose the public’s trust,” Chief Choi said. He stressed, “We must not be swayed by power or political interests; we must look only to the people and conduct rigorous investigations in accordance with law and principle.”
He called for the way investigative powers are exercised to change as well. “We must not repeat past wrongdoing under different names, such as conducting broad searches and seizures that obtain even materials unrelated to the allegations, expanding investigations endlessly in search of other charges, or pursuing investigations for long periods without clear reason,” Chief Choi said.
He went on to stress that investigators should set the scope and intensity of investigations as needed in accordance with the principle of proportionality under the Constitution and the Criminal Procedure Act of the Republic of Korea, and investigate promptly after accurately examining the facts and the applicable law. He said they must be considerate of crime victims and socially vulnerable people while also taking care to protect suspects’ rights.
He also identified strengthening professional investigative capabilities as a key task. “Serious crimes are becoming increasingly sophisticated and advanced,” Chief Choi said. “A deep level of expertise is needed to understand complex financial transactions and the structure of capital markets, find evidence among vast amounts of material, and uncover the true nature of crimes.”
He said the agency would enhance its ability to use advanced investigative tools, including AI, and provide practical training led by experts in each field. He also urged members to devote themselves to self-development so they can become top experts in their respective fields.
He also emphasized teamwork among members drawn from different professional backgrounds. “They must not draw lines based on their previous professions or insist on doing things only their own way,” Chief Choi said. “They should respect and learn from one another’s strengths and work together to find better ways to investigate.”
He also called for rigorous self-discipline. “As members of an agency that investigates corruption and economic crimes, we must hold ourselves to an even stricter moral standard,” he said. “One person’s misconduct or moral laxity can render colleagues’ dedication futile and undermine trust in the entire organization.”
He also spoke directly about the shortcomings in the agency’s early stages. “I am well aware that there are difficulties because not all the necessary conditions are in place yet,” Chief Choi said. “I ask each and every one of you here to approach your work with the pride and sense of ownership of a founding member laying the foundation for a new organization.”
He added, “Let us all pull together as one so that, looking back on this period in the future, we can feel a sense of accomplishment and pride in having laid the cornerstone for building South Korea’s top professional investigative agency.”
Chief Choi is a former prosecutor and graduated from the 30th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute. He has served as head of the inspection department at the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office and as deputy chief prosecutor at the Busan District Prosecutors' Office and the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, among other positions.
 



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