In response to the criticism of performance, the Ministry of Public Prosecution said, “Achievements are only possible when the organization and personnel are normalized.”

Reconfirmation of position to remain subject to investigation of President and National Assembly members... “Actively expressing opinions”

(Seoul, Gwacheon = Yonhap News) Reporter Jeong Yun-ju and Choi Yun-seon = In response to criticism from inside and outside that the High-ranking Public Officials Crime Investigation Office (Corruption Investigation Office) lacks investigative capabilities, it repeatedly emphasized its position that the organization and human resources and other systems must be reorganized first to achieve results.

At a regular briefing on the 20th, the Ministry of Public Prosecution stated this, saying, “It is difficult to achieve results without the manpower or organization in place.”

An official from the Public Prosecution Service said in a briefing that day, “Our view is that if the organization, personnel, and system are not further normalized, it will be difficult to achieve better results in line with the purpose of establishing the agency.”

He added, “We need to see whether the performance standard will be compared to the number of general criminal cases or to cases that the prosecution was working on in the past, and I think the comparison target should also change. From that perspective, I think it would be difficult to say that there is no performance.”

The purpose is that even though there were only 25 prosecutors, including the head of the Corruption Investigation Office, they achieved significant results by uncovering charges such as bribery and abuse of power by high-ranking public officials and sending them to trial.

On the 13th, during the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee's audit of the Corruption Investigation Office's government affairs, since the launch of the Corruption Investigation Office in 2021, there have been 8 cases each directly indicted and 8 cases filed with the prosecution, and it has been pointed out that the investigative capacity is lacking.

They again expressed their opposition to the move by some in the political circles to hand over the investigation authority of the Corruption Investigation Office for the President, Prime Minister, Ministers, National Assembly members, etc. to the Serious Crimes Investigation Office (Severe Crimes Investigation Office).

In response to a related question, an official from the Corruption Investigation Office said, "Our position has not changed. I understand that there is a National Assembly debate scheduled for November, and if the opportunity arises, we plan to actively participate and express our opinions."

Previously, members of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly, proposed a plan to revise the current Corruption Investigation Office Act to focus on investigative and judicial institutions such as judges, prosecutors, investigators, and police.

The current Corruption Investigation Office Act targets the executive branch, including the President, Prime Minister, and ministers, the legislative branch, including the Speaker of the National Assembly and the National Assembly, judges, prosecutors, police officers at or above the level of police inspector, and officers at the general level.

The Corruption Investigation Office also expressed its opposition to this move at a regular briefing on the 6th, saying, "The Central Investigation Agency and the police are part of the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, and the president appoints the minister, but entrusting the investigation only to agencies in the president's chain of command is a regression in the check-and-check structure."