Just nine days after its launch, South Korea's new Serious Crimes Investigation Agency is set to conduct its first internal inspection, targeting a regional office chief who has repeatedly criticized the nominee to lead the agency.
Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung said Sunday he would order an inspection of Im Eun-jeong, head of the agency's Gwangju regional office, over her continued public criticism of Kim Ji-yong, the nominee for the agency's inaugural chief.
"Im seems to be mistaking the SCIA for a political organization rather than an investigative agency," Yun wrote on social media.
"Many people are concerned to see an official at an agency established to uphold justice in cases involving public corruption, economic crimes, cybercrime and drug offenses preoccupied with finding fault with the nominee to lead it," he said.
"I am worried that the wrongful practices of the former Prosecution Service, including political interference and collective action, may be carried over into the SCIA," Yun added.
Yun stressed that the authority to vet Kim rests with the president and the National Assembly, which are responsible for the appointment and confirmation process under the Constitution and law.
"Ensuring that the SCIA does not neglect its duty to maintain discipline over conduct unbecoming of senior public officials or inconsistent with the agency's mission is also part of the prosecution reform demanded by the sovereign people," he said.
The inspection directive was based on Article 6 of the law governing the SCIA, which grants the interior minister general authority to direct and supervise the agency's chief and personnel. For specific criminal investigations, however, the minister can exercise that authority only through the agency chief.
The dispute comes just nine days after South Korea abolished its 78-year-old Prosecution Service on Oct. 2, separating investigative and prosecutorial powers in a sweeping overhaul of its criminal justice system.
Under the new system, the SCIA, placed under the Interior Ministry, investigates major crimes, while the newly established Public Prosecution Service handles indictments.
Im, a former prosecutor known for her outspoken criticism of the prosecution establishment, has repeatedly questioned Kim's suitability to lead the new agency, citing his record during his prosecutorial career.
President Lee Jae Myung nominated Kim on Sept. 8 upon Yun's recommendation but subsequently ordered additional vetting amid fierce opposition from prosecution-reform hard-liners within the broader ruling bloc. Critics questioned whether a career prosecutor was suitable to lead an agency established to strip prosecutors of their investigative powers.
Despite the backlash, Lee pressed ahead with Kim's nomination. After the presidential office said the additional vetting had uncovered nothing that warranted changing its original assessment, Lee approved a request for Kim's National Assembly confirmation hearing on Oct. 1, allowing the appointment process to proceed.
Im, however, continued her public criticism even after Lee decided to proceed with Kim's nomination.
In an Oct. 5 Facebook post, she wrote that the inaugural SCIA chief should serve as "a role model who embodies the values the agency stands for and the standards of conduct expected of its officials."
"When I heard the announcement of Kim Ji-yong's nomination, my heart sank," she wrote.
Responding to Yun's announcement in a Facebook post Sunday, Im described becoming the agency's first target of internal scrutiny as "unfortunate and saddening," but said she would respond with a sense of duty.
The move drew sharply divided reactions from political parties.
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea defended the inspection as "a reasonable measure."
Party spokesperson Rep. Cho Kye-won said, "Any issues concerning Kim's qualifications that have not yet been raised or examined can certainly be addressed through further scrutiny during the National Assembly confirmation hearing."
The main opposition People Power Party, however, criticized Yun for targeting an official he had appointed only days earlier.
"Appointing her just a week ago and launching an inspection barely 10 days later? Yun's inspection order amounts to an admission, after just 10 days, that his own personnel decision was a complete failure," Rep. Kang Myung-gu, the opposition's ranking member on the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, wrote on Facebook.
"Ordering an inspection of a senior SCIA official over her remarks rather than personal misconduct just 10 days after the agency's launch could set a troubling precedent that threatens the agency's independence as an investigative body and its political neutrality," Kang added.
The minor Rebuilding Korea Party, which has opposed Kim's nomination, also expressed concern that the inspection could discourage officials from openly questioning his qualifications.
"It would be inappropriate if the interior minister's inspection order created an environment in which officials could no longer freely raise concerns about nominee Kim Ji-yong," the party said Sunday.
