First Daegu major crime investigation bureau chief starts work, flags staffing gaps
In short
Hong Jong-hee began work on 6 October as the first chief of the Daegu Regional Major Crime Investigation Bureau, saying his priority is to build the new organisation's foundations and that it should be a professional and human-rights-respecting investigative body. He said the bureau lacks material and human infrastructure and asked for public support. The bureau started operations on 2 October with 146 of 223 posts filled, according to figures cited from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
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Hong Jong-hee took up his post as the first chief of the Daegu Regional Major Crime Investigation Bureau on 6 October, telling reporters on his first commute that building the new organisation's foundations would be his first task. He arrived at the bureau, located in the Namsan Building in Nam-gu, Daegu, at around 08:50, according to Chosun Ilbo, and spoke in a doorstep exchange with journalists. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Hong said the bureau has a large role in what he described as a great transformation of the criminal justice system toward separating investigation from prosecution, and that he feels heavy responsibility as its chief. Asked how the bureau's investigations would differ from those of the prosecution, he said he wanted it to establish itself as a top specialist investigative body with professional capability and to treat human rights protection as its highest value. [ 2 ]
He also pointed to resource constraints. “I have heard a lot that various material and human infrastructure is lacking,” Hong said, adding that criticism is welcome but that the bureau needs support now and would work harder with it. He said he would do his best to make it a trusted investigative body that meets public expectations. [ 2 , 4 ]
Hong took only two questions. He said he had not planned to hold a question-and-answer session and would arrange a later occasion for a deeper discussion, then declined further questions and went into the building. [ 2 ]
The Daegu bureau began work on 2 October, according to Newsis. The outlet, citing interim figures released by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety before the launch, said 146 of 223 authorised posts are filled, a 65.5% rate and 77 posts short of full strength. No separate opening ceremony is planned; the bureau intends to hold only a signboard unveiling with heads of related agencies invited, with the details to be announced once decided. [ 2 ]
Hong graduated from Seoul National University's law department and is in the 29th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, the same outlet reported. He has served as chief of the second criminal division of the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office, as second deputy chief prosecutor in Incheon, and as deputy chief prosecutor at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office and the Daegu High Prosecutors' Office, and worked as an auditor at the Korea Legal Aid Foundation before being appointed to the new post. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
The Daegu bureau is part of the shift to a criminal justice system that separates investigation from prosecution, so how it is staffed and how it operates will shape serious-crime investigations in the region. Its chief's first-day remarks point to a gap between the mandate and the resources in place, which the documents leave unresolved.
Key facts
- Hong Jong-hee began work as the first chief of the Daegu Regional Major Crime Investigation Bureau on 6 October. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- He said establishing the organisation's framework is the task to tackle first. [ 1 , 2 ]
- He said he wants the bureau to be a top specialist investigative body that treats human rights protection as its highest value. [ 2 ]
- He said the bureau's role in the shift to a system separating investigation and prosecution is large, and that he feels heavy responsibility. [ 2 ]
- He said he has often heard that material and human infrastructure is lacking, and asked for public support. [ 2 , 4 ]
- He answered two questions from reporters, said he had not planned to take questions, and promised a fuller session later. [ 2 ]
- The Daegu bureau began work on 2 October with 146 of 223 authorised posts filled, a 65.5% rate, or 77 posts short. [ 2 ]
- No separate opening ceremony is planned; the bureau intends only a signboard unveiling with heads of related agencies, with details to be announced. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Hong Jong-hee is the first chief of the Daegu Regional Major Crime Investigation Bureau and made his first commute on 6 October. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- He said he would work to make the bureau a trusted investigative body that meets public expectations. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- He said the bureau lacks material and human infrastructure and asked for support. [ 2 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- The bureau's staffing level of 146 of 223 posts, a 65.5% fill rate, is reported by a single outlet citing the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Only one document gives the figures, so they could not be cross-checked against another outlet.
- The date the bureau began operations, 2 October, is given by one outlet only. Single-source detail with no second outlet confirming it.
- The schedule and format of the bureau's signboard unveiling remain undecided. The documents say only that details will be announced once settled.
- The specific meaning of the bureau's commitment to human rights protection, and how its investigations will differ from prosecution-led investigations, was not set out. Hong said he would discuss this at a later session rather than answering on the day.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Hong Jong-hee arrives for his first day at the Daegu Regional Major Crime Investigation Bureau, housed in the Namsan Building in Nam-gu, Daegu, and speaks to reporters. [ 2 , 4 ]
- Newsis publishes an initial report quoting Hong on building the organisation's framework. [ 1 ]
- Newsis publishes a fuller report adding his remarks on specialised investigation and human rights, staffing figures and his career background. [ 2 ]
- Seoul Shinmun reports his pledge to become an investigative body that meets public expectations. [ 3 ]
- Chosun Ilbo reports his remarks, including the arrival time and his call for public support. [ 4 ]