The government has begun full-scale preparations for establishing the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA), including preparing directives for setting up a launch preparation team. However, with less than six months remaining until the SCIA opens following the abolition of the Prosecutors' Office, many are voicing opinions that "the enactment and revision of laws and regulations must be accelerated."
According to legal circles on the 8th, the Office of the Prime Minister enacted the "Regulations on the Establishment and Operation of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency Launch Preparation Team (Prime Ministerial Directive)" and issued it that day. The preparation team's duration extends until April 30 of next year.
According to the regulations, the preparation team will be headed by the Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. For the deputy head, the Minister of the Interior and Safety will designate one person from among prosecutors belonging to the Ministry of Justice or the Prosecutors' Office, or civilian experts in prosecutorial investigation and criminal justice fields. The plan is to form the preparation team by receiving dispatched officials from relevant administrative agencies such as the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of the Interior and Safety, as well as executives and employees from related organizations. Accordingly, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety is expected to formally request the dispatch of officials from the Ministry of Justice or the Supreme Prosecutors' Office soon.
One of the preparation team's main tasks is to enact and revise laws and administrative rules related to the SCIA. It will also handle the handover of duties between the Prosecutors' Office, which will be abolished in October, and the SCIA, as well as organizing the SCIA's structure and personnel, and budget compilation. Additionally, securing buildings for the SCIA and regional SCIA offices, setting up offices, and establishing operational systems including criminal justice systems are also key tasks. In this regard, the preparation team head may request cooperation such as submission of materials or opinions from relevant administrative agencies and organizations when necessary. They may also seek advice from relevant experts or organizations and commission research studies.
A legal professional familiar with investigative agency matters pointed out, "The SCIA must open in October following the abolition of the Prosecutors' Office, but less than six months remain. All the various internal rules that have been in operation related to the Prosecutors' Office must be changed, and decisions must be made about where to locate the SCIA headquarters and how to structure personnel, so there's definitely not enough time." They added, "Since this is uncharted territory, careful examination and preparation from the beginning stages—including systems and personnel composition—are necessary to minimize trial and error. The composition of the preparation team should be expedited, centered on personnel who will actually be working there."