(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Jeong Yun-ju = Nine days after the Prosecutor's Office was abolished and the Serious Crimes Investigation Office (Serious Crimes Investigation Office) was launched, Lim Eun-jeong, head of the Gwangju Regional Serious Investigations Office, was selected as the target of 'No. 1 inspection'.
This is interpreted as a measure to put a stop to the fact that executives of the newly established investigative agency have publicly criticized the candidate for the first head of the Central Investigation Agency and establish organizational discipline.
The Central Investigation Agency is also criticized for starting from an open door and attracting public attention from the inspection without knowing when the investigation will get back on track.
On the 11th, Minister of Public Administration and Security Yoon Ho-jung said, "It seems that Director Lim Eun-jung is mistaken in thinking that the Central Investigation Agency is an agency that conducts politics rather than an investigation agency. There are many citizens who are concerned about the fact that they are preoccupied with criticizing the candidate for the Director of the Central Investigation Agency." He said that he would order the Central Investigation Agency to initiate an inspection.
It is interpreted that Commissioner Lim initiated an inspection order in response to the critical stance taken by Kim Ji-yong, the candidate for the head of the Serious Investigations Office, through Facebook and other platforms, raising questions about his conduct while he was serving as a prosecutor.
On the 5th, after being appointed as the head of the Gwangju Heavy Water Investigation Office, Director Lim continued his strong criticism by writing on Facebook, "The first head of the Heavy Water Investigation Office is the first Heavy Water Investigation Office investigator," and "On the other hand, a person who should be appointed as a teacher should not become the number one."
On his way to work as the head of the Gwangju Heavy Water Investigation Office, he met with reporters and had a brief Q&A, saying, "I don't think it's a situation where (the Heavy Water Investigation Office investigation) can be normalized within a month or two." This publicly criticized the lack of infrastructure and facilities at the Heavy Water Administration.
It is interpreted that the government is trying to establish organizational discipline as the head of the Regional Heavy Water Administration publicly criticized the candidate for the head of the organization and continued internal attacks, amid continued criticism of the lack of manpower and facilities at the Heavy Water Administration and the absence of the head of the Heavy Water Investigation Office.
While announcing the inspection order on this day, Minister Yoon also said, "I am concerned that the wrong practices such as political intervention and collective action of the prosecution in the past may be transferred to the Central Investigation Agency."
It is interpreted that Commissioner Lim, who admitted to criticizing prosecutors' internal personnel and the government during his tenure at the prosecution, is raising awareness that such practices should not be repeated in the new investigative agency, and that it also contains a warning message that the Central Investigation Agency, which was launched as a result of prosecution reform, should not follow the wrong practices of the prosecution in the past.
Minister Yoon's order for this inspection is in accordance with the 'Act on the Organization and Operation of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency (hereinafter referred to as the Serious Crime Investigation Agency Act)'.
The Central Investigation Agency is expected to begin an inspection of Director Lim based on the Central Investigation Agency Act and the National Public Officials Act.
However, it was found that no official documents related to inspection instructions had been received until this afternoon.
Officials in charge of inspection at the Heavy Investigation Service are known to come to work after media reports despite holidays and review the reasons for inspection and related regulations.
An official from the Heavy Water and Water Administration said, โWe are preparing to quickly proceed with the procedure in accordance with relevant regulations when an official order is received.โ
In the inspection, it is expected that the issue will be whether Commissioner Lim's specific remarks and actions violate related regulations, such as the obligation to maintain dignity of public officials.
It is expected that the investigation will also look into whether Commissioner Lim violated the political neutrality of public officials.
On the 8th, the pro-women civic group Citizens' Action to Correct Judicial Justice (Sasehaeng) filed a complaint against Commissioner Lim on charges of defamation by reporting false information under the Information and Communications Network Act.
Sasehaeng claimed, โAlthough Commissioner Lim has a responsibility to protect the constitutional spirit of political neutrality of public officials with his life, he disclosed false facts regarding candidate Kim Ji-yong,โ and added, โIt is a criminal act of trying to choose oneโs superiors according to oneโs preference while challenging the presidentโs personnel authority.โ
Commissioner Lim claims that Candidate Kim ignored a civil complaint requesting that he inspect the suspicion of concealment of sexual violence by former Prosecutor Jin Mo in 2018 when he was the head of the 1st Inspection Division of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. Former prosecutor Jin is the brother-in-law of independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon.
In response to this, Candidate Kim's position is that additional inspection was difficult because the 'Sexual Harassment Incident Investigation and Damage Recovery Investigation Team' (fact-finding team) was looking into the allegations in February 2018.
Candidate Kim's side said in a statement that day, "At the time, the fact-finding team randomly received all related materials from Candidate Kim's office and investigated the suspicions, and Inspection Division 1 appropriately conducted inspection procedures based on the progress and results of the fact-finding investigation."
He continued, "In March 2018, I informed Commissioner Lim, 'As the fact-finding team is currently investigating, we will review it and reflect it in the inspection work after the investigation is concluded,' and in May of the same year, 'As a result of the fact-finding team's investigation, we judged that the statute of limitations for disciplinary action had expired or that the misconduct was not acknowledged, so it is difficult to say that there are circumstances to begin the inspection again.'" He explained that he did not ignore the civil complaint and responded twice to Commissioner Lim, who was the party involved.
Afterwards, on March 30, 2020, the 1st Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office 'dismissed' the case in which Commissioner Lim was accused of not properly inspecting sexual violence cases within the organization at the time.
The Supreme Court also dismissed Commissioner Lim's reappeal against the decision to dismiss the financial application on February 15, 2022.
It is expected that the Heavy Water Investigations Agency will conduct a question-and-answer investigation on Commissioner Lim Eun-jeong in the future, and if it determines that there is a reason for disciplinary action as a result of the inspection, it will take separate disciplinary procedures.
Article 23 of the Serious Investigations Agency Act stipulates that the disciplinary committee established under the Prime Minister in accordance with the National Civil Service Act may decide on disciplinary action for the head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Office and investigators of level 5 or higher.
However, there are observations that it may take time for the inspection to lead to actual disciplinary procedures.
This is because the positions of the head of the Heavy Water Investigations Agency and the second-level inspector general of the Heavy Water Investigations Agency headquarters are vacant, and Candidate Kim's personnel hearing is scheduled for the 14th, so the system to direct the inspection and proceed with follow-up procedures is not yet fully in place.
