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Interior minister apologises as new serious crime agency launches without chief
Версия 2: New coverage adds detail on the nomination dispute that delayed the hearing request, the composition of the agency's senior investigators, and a dispute between the minister and a regional agency chief who said the body is not ready to operate normally.
Коротко
Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung told a National Assembly audit on Oct. 6 that he feels very sorry the new Serious Crime Investigation Agency began operating without a head and that the personnel hearing request for nominee Kim Ji-yong reached parliament late. Kim, described as a former prosecutor, was recommended on Sept. 7 and nominated by President Lee Jae-myung the next day; the request was approved on Oct. 1 and submitted on Oct. 2, when the agency launched. Yoon said 1,900 of the agency's 2,874 posts, about 66 percent, are filled.
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Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung apologised at the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee audit on Oct. 6 for the launch of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency without a head and for the late submission of the personnel hearing request for its chief nominee. Answering Rep. Kwon Young-jin of the People Power Party, who asked whether he should apologise to the public for launching the agency without a chief, Yoon said, according to Newsis, Dong-A Ilbo and Kyunghyang Shinmun, “I did my best, but I think it is very regrettable that the agency did not launch together with its head.” Yonhap and SBS reported the same reply in similar wording. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 ]
Kim Ji-yong, described in the reports as a former prosecutor, was recommended by Yoon on Sept. 7 and nominated by President Lee Jae-myung the following day. The hearing request was delayed as hardliners in the ruling party called for the nomination to be withdrawn and further checks were carried out on his record as a prosecutor. Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that objections inside the ruling camp raised the label of a “pro-Yoon Suk-yeol prosecutor.” The president approved the request on Oct. 1 and it was sent to the National Assembly on Oct. 2, which Kyunghyang Shinmun said was 24 days after the nomination. Yonhap and SBS reported the agency was launched without a chief on Oct. 2. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 9 ]
Rep. Kwon said more than three weeks, and close to a month, had passed before the request reached parliament, leaving preparations for both the audit and the confirmation hearing inadequate. Yoon replied that he had wanted to finish the hearing and appointment before the agency launched but that this was not possible, and asked for thorough verification despite the limited time. Rep. Kim Young-bae of the Democratic Party also raised concerns about the agency starting work without a chief. Yoon described the change as a reorganisation of the criminal justice system after about 70 years and said he had checked the issues raised one by one, in what he described as the feeling of tapping stepping stones. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 ]
On staffing, Yoon told the audit that 1,900 of the agency's 2,874 posts, about 66 percent, have been filled, according to Asia Economy. He said a further 15 percent will be recruited competitively from former police officers, lawyers and accountants, and the remaining 10 percent will be left open for next year's new hires. Career hiring could start immediately, he said, and special appointments transferred from the prosecution service could be made until April next year, Yonhap and SBS reported. [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 9 ]
Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that the seven first-grade investigator posts, including the agency's deputy chief and six regional offices, are held by four former prosecutors and three former judges, with no police background. Yoon said the first-grade police rank equivalent has only seven people, making such transfers difficult, and that lower-ranking investigators could advance to senior posts at the new agency. He also responded to Gwangju agency chief Lim Eun-jung, who said on her way to work that the agency opened without adequate preparation and cannot operate normally at once; Yoon said that was not entirely accurate, without giving details. Asked about special appointments, he said Lim was the only prosecution official who applied for a first-grade post, according to the same report. [ 9 ]
Почему это важно
The agency set up as the prosecution service was abolished, as Asia Economy described it, is operating without a confirmed chief and with roughly two-thirds of its staff in place. The delay followed objections inside the ruling party to a prosecutor-turned-nominee, so the confirmation process is running alongside the agency's first months of work. Lawmakers used the audit to press the minister on both the vacancy and the staffing gap.
Ключевые факты
- Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung said at the Oct. 6 National Assembly Public Administration and Security Committee audit that he feels very sorry the Serious Crime Investigation Agency launched without a head. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 ]
- Yoon also apologised for the delay in submitting the personnel hearing request for agency chief nominee Kim Ji-yong to the National Assembly. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 9 ]
- Kim Ji-yong, described as a former prosecutor, was recommended by Yoon on Sept. 7 and nominated by President Lee Jae-myung the following day. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 9 ]
- The hearing request was approved by the president on Oct. 1 and submitted to the National Assembly on Oct. 2, and the agency launched without a chief on Oct. 2, according to Yonhap and SBS. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 ]
- The delay followed demands from hardliners in the ruling party to withdraw Kim's nomination and additional verification of his record as a prosecutor. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 9 ]
- Yoon said 1,900 of the agency's 2,874 posts, about 66 percent, are filled, with 15 percent to come from competitive hiring of former police officers, lawyers and accountants and 10 percent reserved for next year's recruitment. [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 9 ]
- Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that Gwangju agency chief Lim Eun-jung said on her way to work that the agency opened without adequate preparation and cannot operate normally at once, and that Yoon said this was not entirely accurate. [ 9 ]
Подтверждено несколькими источниками
- Yoon Ho-jung apologised at the Oct. 6 parliamentary audit for the agency launching without a chief and for the late hearing request. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 ]
- Kim Ji-yong was recommended by Yoon on Sept. 7 and nominated by President Lee Jae-myung the next day. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 9 ]
- The personnel hearing request was approved on Oct. 1 and submitted to the National Assembly on Oct. 2. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 9 ]
- Rep. Kwon Young-jin of the People Power Party questioned Yoon about the delay at the audit. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 ]
- Yoon said about 66 percent of the agency's posts are filled, with 15 percent to be hired competitively and 10 percent left for next year. [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 9 ]
Пока неясно
- When Kim Ji-yong's confirmation hearing will be held and when he might be appointed. Yoon said he had wanted to complete the hearing and appointment before the agency launched but that this was not possible; no date is given.
- Which ruling-party figures demanded the withdrawal of Kim's nomination. The documents refer only to hardliners inside the ruling party and do not name them.
- Whether the agency can operate normally in its first months, as Gwangju chief Lim Eun-jung said it cannot. The claim appears in one outlet, Kyunghyang Shinmun, and Yoon disputed it, saying it was not entirely accurate, without giving details.
- The exact time of Yoon's remarks at the audit. The documents say only that the exchange took place on Oct. 6 and give publication times for the reports, not the time of the remarks.
Что пишут местные СМИ
Хронология, местное время
- Yoon Ho-jung recommends former prosecutor Kim Ji-yong as nominee for head of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 9 ]
- President Lee Jae-myung nominates Kim Ji-yong as a candidate. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 9 ]
- The president approves the personnel hearing request for Kim after delays amid demands from ruling-party hardliners to withdraw the nomination. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 9 ]
- The hearing request is submitted to the National Assembly, 24 days after the nomination according to Kyunghyang Shinmun. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 9 ]
- The agency launches without a chief, according to Yonhap and SBS. [ 5 , 6 ]
- At the National Assembly Public Administration and Security Committee audit, Yoon apologises for the agency launching without a head and for the late hearing request. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 ]
- Newsis publishes its report on Yoon's remarks. [ 2 ]
- Kyunghyang Shinmun publishes its detailed account of the audit. [ 9 ]