Gwangju serious crime bureau chief says agency not ready; minister disputes
In short
Lim Eun-jung, head of the Gwangju Regional Serious Crime Investigation Bureau, said on 6 October that the agency opened without sufficient preparation and cannot be operated normally for now, citing undelivered budgets, senior postings notified the day before the opening and a staffing table that had not been issued, and asked citizens for their understanding. Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung told a National Assembly audit the same day that her account was not all exactly true. Lim also repeated her opposition to Kim Ji-yong, the nominee for the first head of the central bureau.
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Lim Eun-jung, head of the Gwangju Regional Serious Crime Investigation Bureau, said at a doorstep briefing outside the bureau in Buk-gu, Gwangju, that the agency opened without sufficient preparation and cannot be operated normally for the time being, and asked citizens for their understanding. She said a large space with desks and people does not by itself create a working investigative system, and that normalisation within one or two months was unlikely, Yonhap, NoCut News and Asia Economy reported. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
She said budgets had not been delivered and the organisation was in disarray, that officials at grade 5 and above were told their postings only the day before the opening, and that no staffing table had been issued at launch. Housing for staff arriving from other regions had not been arranged and rent support was undecided, leaving senior officials in hotels or temporary accommodation; she said she would probably stay in a hotel for the time being. [ 3 , 5 , 6 ]
No cases had yet been transferred from the prosecution service although complaint filings had been received, she said, adding that the scale of the cases the bureau would take over was not yet known. Because it covers North Jeolla and Jeju as well as Gwangju, residents of those areas may have to travel to Gwangju for questioning, Yonhap reported; Lim said branch offices looked difficult for now and that she would use travel investigations so that officials, not citizens, bear the inconvenience. [ 3 , 5 , 6 , 9 ]
She said investigations would be run with fairness and restraint, criticising past practice she described as an investigation in which the answer is fixed and only the reply is needed, and saying she would not allow the kind of investigation that pursues family members. She said she joined to build a culture that breaks from the prosecution's top-down habits and protection of its own people. [ 3 , 5 , 9 ]
Lim repeated her criticism of Kim Ji-yong, the nominee for the first head of the central Serious Crime Investigation Bureau, saying he had been involved as a command-line figure in undisclosed matters during his prosecution career and that, as far as she knew, he had not filed an objection and had signed off. Seoul Economic reported that she wrote on Facebook the previous day that the person who should serve as a cautionary example should not become the first head, and that she emailed the justice minister in June saying the opening needed to be reviewed for delay. [ 4 , 9 ]
At the National Assembly's public administration and security committee audit the same day, Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung was asked about her remarks. He said he did not know how far she had checked and that he would tell the bureau's deputy head to communicate well, Asia Economy reported; asked whether her account was accurate, he said it was not all exactly true, Newsis reported. Yoon also said there was no thought of the bureau becoming an investigative agency suited to the government's preferences. [ 7 , 8 ]
The documents differ on dates. Yonhap, NoCut News, Asia Economy, Seoul Economic and Newsis place Lim's remarks on 6 October, while Kyunghyang Shinmun dates them to 7 October. Yonhap and Kyunghyang indicate she first visited the office on 2 October, while NoCut News says 3 October and describes the remarks as coming four days after the launch; Seoul Economic reported that an opening ceremony and formal launch were expected on 7 October. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 9 ]
Why it matters
The Gwangju bureau is one of the new investigative bodies set up under South Korea's separation of investigation and prosecution, so its state of readiness affects how serious cases in the region are handled. The public exchange between its head and the interior minister at a parliamentary audit, and Lim's opposition to the nominee for the central bureau's first head, point to friction inside the new structure.
Key facts
- Lim Eun-jung, head of the Gwangju Regional Serious Crime Investigation Bureau, said at a doorstep briefing in Gwangju that the bureau opened without sufficient preparation and cannot be operated normally for the time being, and asked citizens for their understanding; she said normalisation within one or two months was unlikely. [ 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- She cited budgets that had not been delivered, officials at grade 5 and above notified of their postings only the day before the opening, and a staffing table that had not been issued at launch. [ 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- Housing for staff arriving from other regions had not been arranged and the level of rent support was undecided, leaving senior officials in hotels or temporary accommodation. [ 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- She said no cases had yet been transferred from the prosecution service, although complaint filings had been received, and that the scale of cases to come was not known. [ 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- She said the bureau's coverage of North Jeolla and Jeju could require residents to travel to Gwangju, and that she would use travel investigations instead of branch offices. [ 5 , 6 , 9 ]
- She said investigations would be run with fairness and restraint, and that she would not allow the kind of investigation that pursues family members. [ 3 , 9 ]
- She repeated her opposition to Kim Ji-yong, the nominee for the first head of the central bureau, saying it is the duty of a public official and the right of a citizen to say what is wrong. [ 4 , 9 ]
- Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung told the National Assembly audit that her account was not all exactly true and said he would tell the bureau's deputy head to communicate well. [ 7 , 8 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Lim Eun-jung, head of the Gwangju Regional Serious Crime Investigation Bureau, said the agency opened without sufficient preparation and cannot be operated normally for the time being, and asked citizens for their understanding. [ 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- She cited budgets that had not been delivered, officials at grade 5 and above notified of their postings only the day before the opening, and a staffing table that had not been issued at launch. [ 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- Housing for staff arriving from other regions had not been arranged and the level of rent support was undecided, leaving senior officials in hotels or temporary accommodation. [ 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung responded at the National Assembly's public administration and security committee audit, saying he did not know how far Lim had checked, that he would tell the bureau's deputy head to communicate well, and that her account was not all exactly true. [ 7 , 8 ]
- Lim repeated her criticism of Kim Ji-yong, the nominee for the first head of the central bureau, saying it is the duty of a public official and the right of a citizen to say what is wrong. [ 4 , 9 ]
Still unclear
- Whether Lim's description of the bureau's readiness is accurate, after Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung said it was not all exactly true and that he did not know how far she had checked. The documents report only the two officials' competing statements and give no independent verification.
- The date of Lim's remarks: Yonhap, NoCut News, Asia Economy, Seoul Economic and Newsis report them on 6 October, while Kyunghyang Shinmun dates them to 7 October. The outlets disagree, and Kyunghyang Shinmun published on 6 October although it dates the remarks to the following day.
- When Lim first visited the Gwangju office: Yonhap and Kyunghyang indicate Friday 2 October, while NoCut News says 3 October. The documents give different dates.
- Allegations raised by Lim against Kim Ji-yong, the nominee for the first head of the central bureau. Only Lim's claims are reported; no response from Kim appears in the documents.
- How many cases will be transferred to the bureau and how they will be handled. Described as not yet known: Lim said the scale had not been assessed and that handling would require discussion among regional offices.
- When the bureau formally launched, with NoCut News describing the launch as four days before 6 October while Seoul Economic reported a planned opening ceremony on 7 October. The documents do not reconcile the launch date with the planned ceremony.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Lim Eun-jung gives a doorstep briefing in front of the Gwangju bureau building and says the agency cannot be operated normally for now. [ 3 ]
- Newsis reports Lim saying the bureau cannot be operated normally for the time being. [ 2 ]
- Yonhap reports her remarks, including the missing budgets, late postings and unresolved housing. [ 5 ]
- Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung answers questions about her remarks at the National Assembly's public administration and security committee audit. [ 7 ]
- Newsis reports Yoon saying the bureau is not intended to be an investigative agency suited to the government's preferences, and that Lim's account is not all exactly true. [ 8 ]
- Seoul Economic reports Lim's earlier Facebook post opposing Kim Ji-yong, her June email to the justice minister and a planned opening ceremony on 7 October. [ 9 ]