The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) has bolstered its investigation capabilities by hiring several individuals with experience in law enforcement. Since securing cognitive investigation authority in April, the FSS has been actively recruiting personnel with investigative backgrounds.
According to the FSS, in its second round of specialized and experienced hiring for 2026, seven candidates with investigative experience—six from the prosecution and one from the police—successfully passed the final selection and were assigned to the Investigation Bureau and the Special Judicial Police for Capital Markets on August 18.
Among the new hires from the prosecution are individuals with extensive experience in capital markets and securities crime investigations, including those from the Southern District Prosecutor's Office and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials.
Although the total number of successful candidates in this recruitment round was 56, down from the initially planned 60, all seven positions in the investigative field were filled as scheduled.
This is the first time the FSS has specifically recruited individuals with investigative experience. Previously, the agency focused on enhancing its investigative capabilities through hiring legal and financial professionals, such as lawyers and accountants. However, the importance of investigative expertise has increased since the FSS obtained cognitive investigation authority in April. This authority allows the FSS to transition cases into special police investigations without separate complaints or notifications from the Financial Services Commission, following a decision by the Investigation Review Committee.
The scope of work for the investigative team differs from standard financial supervision duties. They are responsible for investigating unfair trading in capital markets and financial crimes, as well as collecting evidence, interrogating suspects, applying for warrants, and referring cases to the prosecution. Eligibility for these positions is limited to those with at least three years of experience in public, economic, financial, or capital market-related investigations.
This recruitment round also included an increase in investigative personnel. About 20 of the successful candidates were assigned to the Investigation Bureau. Considering that approximately 40 personnel from the Investigation Bureau are currently dispatched to joint investigation teams, this move appears to enhance the FSS's capacity to investigate unfair trading.
The FSS stated, "Combining the agency's expertise in financial products and transaction structures with the investigative experience of personnel from law enforcement will significantly improve our ability to secure evidence and respond to unfair trading cases."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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