The Major Crime Investigation Agency, set to launch in October, is running into successive obstacles even at the stage of securing regional offices. After the lease for its Suwon office fell through, the planned site for its Daejeon office has also entered a reselection process, fueling growing concerns that a normal opening may be difficult.
According to legal circles on the 22nd, the Major Crime Investigation Agency opening preparation team under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety has canceled its selection of the "Sejong IT Tower" in Jiphyeon-dong, Sejong City, which had been chosen as the Daejeon office, and is now searching for an alternative building. The contract process was reportedly halted after it was belatedly confirmed that the building's designated use does not permit government offices to move in. As a result, critics point out that basic matters such as the building's designated use and whether it could be leased for government offices were inadequately reviewed during the site selection process.
Earlier, the Suwon office, which was to be located in the former Lotte Mart Yeongtong branch in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, also saw its contract fall through after the lessor withdrew its intention. With just over 70 days remaining before the launch, this means that 2 of the 5 regional office locations must now be found again from scratch.
The opening preparation team says it will select new sites as soon as possible, but legal circles believe a normal opening in October will not be easy. Even if a new building is secured, it must go through procedures including interior space design and construction, installation of security facilities, establishment of communications and computer networks, and the creation of investigative facilities such as interrogation rooms.
The situation is similar for the remaining regional offices. The relevant contingency budget passed the Cabinet meeting only on the 14th, and even after lease negotiations, bidding, contracting, and construction procedures for the main work remain. As a result, some predict that an "incomplete opening" may be unavoidable, with personnel deployed to temporary spaces or work starting with only minimal facilities in place.
An official in legal circles said, "The reversal of site selection for Daejeon following Suwon means the buildings were selected without sufficient verification because of the tight schedule," adding, "Considering the time needed to build security facilities and computer networks, a normal launch in October is realistically not easy."
