South Korea’s crime agency nominee pledges politically independent investigations

Kim Ji-yong, the nominee to lead South Korea’s new Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, said in Seoul on October 8 that he would end the politicization of investigations and protect the agency’s independence. His pledge comes days after a criminal justice overhaul moved investigative powers away from prosecutors, making the agency’s leadership a test of how the new system will operate.

Kim, a former prosecutor, told reporters he would ‘first put an end to the politicization of investigations,’ according to Yonhap News Agency. He said he would work to ensure the agency firmly protects political neutrality and the independence of its investigations. Those are commitments from a nominee awaiting a hearing, rather than evidence of how the agency has performed under his leadership.

Why Kim Ji-yong’s pledge matters to the prosecution overhaul

South Korea launched the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, or SCIA, and a restructured prosecution service on October 2. The overhaul replaced the former prosecutors’ office after 78 years and removed prosecutors’ power to conduct direct investigations. Prosecutors now handle indictments and maintain cases after indictment, while police have greater investigative authority, according to Yonhap’s account of the launch.

The SCIA is responsible for seven categories of major crime: corruption, economic crimes, defense acquisition, drug offenses, crimes against state security, cybercrimes and offenses involving distortion of the law. The former prosecution service’s 42 investigation departments were abolished, with their functions transferred to the new agency. That transfer gives Kim’s promise practical weight: it concerns the body taking over work previously done by prosecutors.

Staffing and oversight questions facing the new agency

The transition began with unresolved operational questions. Yonhap reported that both new agencies opened without chiefs, raising concern about possible gaps in decision-making. At launch, the SCIA had about 1,900 employees, roughly 66 percent of its authorized staffing level of 2,874. Those figures describe its initial capacity; they do not show whether a particular investigation has been delayed or mishandled.

Yonhap also reported concerns that the overhaul could give police excessive authority and weaken checks on police investigations because prosecutors no longer have supplementary investigative powers. At the October 2 launch ceremony, Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung called for close cooperation between the new agencies. He said responsibility to the public should not be divided simply because investigation and indictment are now separate, and urged a system that prevents cases from falling through the gaps.

Those concerns frame the task awaiting a confirmed SCIA chief: managing investigative work within a system that has newly divided responsibilities. The available reports identify questions about staffing, oversight and coordination, but do not establish that the new structure has already caused an investigative failure. Kim has not yet described concrete measures for carrying out his political neutrality pledge in the reporting reviewed here.

When Kim Ji-yong’s confirmation hearing is expected

SBS News reported on October 6 that the Democratic Party expected Kim’s parliamentary confirmation hearing on October 14. Party floor spokesperson Kim Seong-hoe said that date depended on the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee adopting a hearing plan. The date was therefore a reported schedule, not a completed confirmation step. SBS cautions that its English article was translated by AI and may contain errors.

According to SBS, a formal request for Kim’s hearing was submitted to the National Assembly on October 2 after additional vetting prompted by objections from prosecution reform hardliners in the ruling bloc. Yonhap reported that some hardliners in the governing Democratic Party opposed his nomination, claiming he had previously opposed prosecution reform. That objection remains an attributed claim about his past position.

The hearing offers lawmakers a chance to examine Kim’s approach to independence and the agency’s new responsibilities. For now, the established development is his October 8 pledge and a pending hearing. The reports do not establish whether he will be confirmed or how he would put that pledge into practice if appointed.