Choi Jae-min takes office as first head of Seoul major crimes investigation bureau
In short
Choi Jae-min was inaugurated on Oct 7 as the first chief of the Seoul District Major Crimes Investigation Bureau, telling staff that investigations must not be swayed by power or political interests. He said past wrongs — broad seizure searches, endlessly widening probes and long investigations without clear reason — must not be repeated “under a new name”, and called for deeper expertise in financial and economic crime. The bureau opened on Oct 2 with about 1,900 of its 2,874 allotted staff.
Why it matters
The Seoul bureau is the largest of the new major crimes investigation bodies that replace the prosecution's investigative role in a restructuring the outlets describe as a once-in-decades change to the criminal justice system. Its first chief's emphasis on proportionality, speed and political neutrality signals how the new institution intends to distinguish itself from past prosecution practice. Documents give no basis for assessing results, only the stated intentions.
Key facts
- Choi Jae-min was inaugurated on Oct 7 as the first chief of the Seoul District Major Crimes Investigation Bureau. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- The inauguration ceremony was held at the Renaissance Square building in Jung-gu, Seoul, and drew about 100 staff. [ 5 ]
- Choi said investigations must not be shaken by power or political interests and must follow the law and principle. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- He listed broad seizure searches, investigations endlessly widened to other charges and long investigations without clear reason as past wrongs that must not be repeated “under a new name”. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- He called for investigation scope and intensity to fit necessity under the proportionality principle in the Constitution and the Criminal Procedure Act, with consideration for victims and suspects' rights. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- He asked for deep expertise in complex financial transactions and capital markets and for stronger use of AI and other advanced investigative tools, plus expert-led practical training. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- The Seoul bureau opened on Oct 2 with about 1,900 staff, 66.1% of its 2,874-person quota, and its criminal justice information system is being built in stages. [ 5 ]
- Choi, 55, is a former prosecutor who served as a deputy chief at the Suwon and Busan district prosecutors' offices and as head of the inspection department at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office before leaving the prosecution in 2023 to practise law. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Choi Jae-min was inaugurated on Oct 7 as the first chief of the Seoul District Major Crimes Investigation Bureau. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Choi said investigations should not be swayed by power or political interests and should follow law and principle. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Choi said practices such as broad seizure searches, endlessly widening investigations and long investigations without clear reason should not be repeated under a new name. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Choi called for professional investigative capacity, including in complex financial and capital-market cases, and for greater use of AI investigation tools. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- Choi asked staff to apply stricter ethical standards to themselves. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- What specifically the “past wrongs” referred to and whether the speech marked a break with prosecution practices. Only one outlet (Kyunghyang Shinmun) frames the remark as a move away from wrongful investigation practices; the other documents report it as part of the speech without that interpretation.
- Details of the event in the Newsis document. That document's headline concerns Choi's remarks, but its article text is about a Nuri rocket launch, so only the headline could be used and it adds no facts beyond those in the other outlets.
- Whether the bureau's staffing and systems are fully in place. One outlet says conditions are not fully prepared and the information system is being built in stages; documents do not give a completion date.