CIO chief Oh Dong-woon to seek inclusion of Grade 4 Serious Crime Investigation Agency investigators and senior police superintendents among investigation targets

[Financial News] Amid the abolition of the Prosecutors’ Office and the launch of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) will pursue a legal amendment to bring police senior superintendents and Serious Crime Investigation Agency investigators at Grade 4 or above within its investigative remit.
At a National Assembly audit session of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 13th, CIO chief Oh Dong-woon said in a briefing on the office’s work, “We will pursue legal amendments to ensure that checks and balances among investigative agencies—including the CIO, the Serious Crime Investigation Agency and the police—operate smoothly. This will include bringing police senior superintendents and Grade 4 investigators at the Serious Crime Investigation Agency within the scope of those subject to investigation, and reasonably adjusting who may be investigated for ‘related crimes,’ which are also subject to investigation.”
Serious Crime Investigation Agency investigators are broadly divided into managerial staff at Grade 5 or above and operational staff at Grade 6 or below. Grade 4 is a rank to which line prosecutors with fewer than 10 years of legal experience may be specially appointed. Under an amended law that took effect on the 2nd, the CIO can investigate Serious Crime Investigation Agency officials at Grade 3 or above.
However, Oh has previously expressed the view that the scope of Serious Crime Investigation Agency officials subject to investigation should be extended to Grade 4 to make checks on powerful institutions more effective.
Separately, the CIO is also seeking to expand its authorized headcount. “We will increase our current authorized staff of just 85 (25 prosecutors, 40 investigators and 20 administrative staff) and continue to pursue legal amendments needed to conduct investigations properly, including extending prosecutors’ terms and abolishing fixed-term appointments for investigators,” Oh stressed. He added, “We plan to improve investigative efficiency by concentrating investigative personnel on major cases or setting up separate task forces (TFs).”
[email protected] Yu Seon-jun Reporter