The South Korean government has decided to allocate an additional 6.83 billion won (approximately $5.1 million) for the operation of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency (SCIA).
On October 6, the Prime Minister's Office announced that a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Lee Jae-myung was held at the Blue House, where it reviewed and approved two general items, 15 presidential decrees, and 18 legal proclamations, including the budget for the SCIA's operational expenses.
Prior to this, over 120 billion won had already been spent in preparation for the SCIA's establishment. This included 5.02 billion won for information system development in April, 42.38 billion won for building construction in June, 68.7 billion won for further preparations in July, and 4.19 billion won for essential information system development last month.
During the Cabinet meeting, President Lee emphasized the need for thorough and impartial investigations into crimes committed by influential members of society, regardless of political affiliation. He stated, "There should be no hesitation in conducting strict and thorough investigations into the criminal acts of those in power, regardless of their political ties or social status."
He added, "Our citizens sometimes question whether there is true justice in this country. We must thoroughly investigate incidents that raise such doubts among the public to completely dispel their concerns."
President Lee also urged the newly appointed Chief Prosecutor and the Acting Chief of the SCIA, who attended the Cabinet meeting for the first time, to enforce the law strictly while exercising their powers with restraint.
He described the abolition of the prosecution office and the establishment of the SCIA and the Public Prosecution Service as a "historic decision by the people," asserting that investigations and prosecutions must never be misused or manipulated by political power, nor should they fail to fulfill their original roles.
Furthermore, he stated, "The essence of investigation and prosecution is to uncover crimes and hold those responsible accountable, but it is equally important to ensure that no innocent person suffers in the process. We must not allow any injustice to occur under the guise of maintaining order."
The SCIA was established on October 2 as part of a reform of the criminal justice system that separates investigation and prosecution. With the abolition of the previous prosecution office, the Public Prosecution Service, under the Ministry of Justice, will handle prosecutions and maintaining charges, while the SCIA will be responsible for investigating seven major crimes, including corruption, economic crimes, defense business crimes, drug offenses, national security crimes, cyber crimes, and legal distortion crimes.
The SCIA will operate with a headquarters and six regional offices in Seoul, Suwon, Daejeon, Daegu, Busan, and Gwangju. It has a total staffing capacity of 2,874, with 1,900 positions filled at the time of its launch, representing 66.1% of its total capacity. The agency plans to gradually recruit additional personnel through experienced hiring from external experts such as police officers, lawyers, and accountants.
The government has submitted a budget proposal of 472.4 billion won for the SCIA for the next fiscal year to the National Assembly, which includes 229.9 billion won for personnel expenses, 217.3 billion won for operational costs, and 25.2 billion won for basic expenses. For the fourth quarter of this year, the SCIA will use the existing budget from the former prosecution office and will cover additional operational costs through this supplementary budget.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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