As the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency prepares to launch on October 2, 615 applicants have withdrawn their applications for special appointments, raising concerns about potential disruptions in case handling during the agency's initial phase.
According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the final number of applicants for the special appointments at the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency stands at 1,761. This figure comes after 615 individuals withdrew their applications by the deadline of August 31, representing 25.9% of the initial 2,376 applicants.
The final applicant count constitutes 61.3% of the agency's total staffing capacity of 2,874. Although the ministry had previously reported that applications exceeded 82% of the total positions, the large number of withdrawals has significantly lowered this figure by over 20 percentage points.
Concerns are particularly heightened as most of the withdrawn applicants are believed to be investigators, which could lead to a shortage of operational personnel. Of the agency's total positions, 2,567 are designated for investigators. The final applicants will also undergo evaluations based on their experience, expertise, and preferred work locations, potentially reducing the actual number of appointments further.
Reasons for the withdrawals include expectations of remaining with the Prosecution Service and uncertainties regarding promotions and assignments after transitioning to the new agency. With the structure and staffing of the Prosecution Service yet to be announced, there is growing anticipation among investigators that more personnel than expected may be assigned to the Prosecution Service.
One current investigator noted, "It seems that expectations regarding a higher-than-anticipated number of investigator positions in the Prosecution Service influenced the decision to withdraw. Prosecutors applying to the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency may have led some investigators at the 5th grade level and above to believe that their chances for promotion would diminish."
The government plans to encourage voluntary applications without forced transfers. To address the staffing shortfall, it intends to fill positions through additional special appointments and external competitive hiring. This will include recruiting professionals from related fields such as police, law, accounting, and patent law, as well as accepting additional applications from current prosecutors and Prosecution Service officials. Additional special appointments will be possible until April 30, 2027.
However, concerns have been raised that it will take time to select and deploy external personnel to the field, potentially resulting in a lack of experienced staff during the agency's early days. The Serious Crimes Investigation Agency is set to take over seven major crime cases, including corruption, economic crimes, drug offenses, defense business, national security, cybercrime, and legal distortion, which were previously under investigation by the prosecution.
Preparations for the agency's physical infrastructure are progressing. The Serious Crimes Investigation Agency has completed lease agreements for six offices nationwide, including its headquarters and regional offices in Seoul, Suwon, Busan, Daegu, Daejeon, and Gwangju. The inaugural candidate recommendation committee for the agency's first chief is also scheduled to hold its first meeting this week to begin the candidate review process.
However, the establishment of internal investigation spaces and the installation of IT, communication, and security equipment are still ongoing. Of the nine procurement projects initiated by the preparation committee, six are expected to be delivered after the agency's launch, scheduled for December.
Legal experts have pointed out that merely establishing the agency's offices and organizational structure will not ensure effective investigative capabilities. To seamlessly continue existing cases from the outset, it is crucial to promptly finalize the number of appointments by job classification and the deployment plans for each office at the time of the agency's launch.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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