The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) said it opposes a proposal pushed by some members of the ruling party to transfer its authority to investigate the president and lawmakers to a new Major Crimes Investigation Agency, calling the plan "a step backward for checks and balances." The office argued that a structure in which an investigative agency under the president's command investigates the president and those close to him contradicts the purpose for which the CIO was created.
Kim Baek-ki, spokesperson for the CIO, addressed the discussions within the ruling bloc about assigning investigations of the president, the prime minister and lawmakers to the new agency at a regular briefing held at the Government Complex in Gwacheon on the 6th. "The Major Crimes Investigation Agency and the police fall under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and the minister is appointed by the president," Kim said. "Entrusting investigations of the president and those around him within the chain of command to that same chain of command is a step backward for checks and balances."
Lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea on the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee are considering revising the law to expand the CIO into a nationwide organization tasked with monitoring and investigating those working in investigative and judicial bodies, including judges, prosecutors, police officers and investigators, while granting the Major Crimes Investigation Agency the authority to investigate high-ranking officials. The lawmakers plan to hold a debate on the 7th under the theme of a "full overhaul of the CIO's functions."
Kim said the office had held "no consultations with the National Assembly on that proposal." He added, "We have, however, stated on multiple occasions that checks and balances among investigative agencies and a role for the CIO will be necessary after the Major Crimes Investigation Agency is launched."
On the proposed nationwide expansion, the office said additional personnel would have to follow. "Setting aside whether branch offices are added, we cannot handle it unless staffing or the organization grows," Kim said. "There are aspects of the CIO's founding purpose that are difficult to fulfill with the current headcount."
Responding to criticism that its investigative output, including the number of indictments and requests for arrest warrants, has been weak, Kim acknowledged that "there are respects in which we have fallen short of public expectations," but drew a line at simple comparisons of case numbers. His point was that the office's scope is limited to high-ranking officials above a certain rank and to job-related offenses such as abuse of authority and dereliction of duty, making it difficult to assess performance by numbers alone. "It is appropriate to maintain the existing targets of investigation while revising the rules on related offenses and the scope of indictment," Kim said.
