Ten Days After Launch, Major Crimes Investigation Agency Has Yet to Begin Any Investigations

The Major Crimes Investigation Agency (MCIA), ten days after its launch, is facing significant operational disruptions due to a lack of personnel and infrastructure. Despite receiving notifications of nearly 500 cases from the police, it has not initiated a single investigation, raising concerns about delays in law enforcement.

According to data submitted by the National Assembly's Administrative Safety Committee member Kim Ye-ji from the People Power Party, the police reported a total of 459 cases to the MCIA between October 2 and October 10.

The Seoul Regional MCIA received the most notifications, with 205 cases, followed by Busan (99 cases), Suwon (76 cases), Daegu (38 cases), Gwangju (25 cases), and Daejeon (16 cases). However, as of October 8, the MCIA had neither requested nor received any cases from the police. Under current MCIA law, investigative agencies must immediately notify the MCIA director upon recognizing one of seven major crimes, yet no investigations have commenced.

The situation is similar for cases filed directly with local MCIA offices. As of October 7, a total of 82 cases had been filed nationwide, with paperwork assigned but no progress made in actual investigations due to inadequate infrastructure.

Currently, the MCIA lacks its own Criminal Justice Information System (KICS) and is temporarily using the police's system. Key functions such as case processing and access to the criminal justice portal are expected to be available only after the second phase of the system is launched in December. Consequently, staff are handling most tasks, including record-keeping and data entry, manually.

The absence of an administrative system has led to significant confusion on the ground. Many investigators have not even received work computers, relying instead on the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Onnara system for electronic approvals and emails, while using KakaoTalk or the internal government messenger 'Ontalk' for communication. There have even been instances where investigators have had to personally cover expenses for necessary supplies, such as writing instruments, due to the lack of an MCIA account for expenditures.

Concerns have also been raised about the vacancies in the agency's leadership and operational staff. The MCIA has begun operations with 1,900 of its 2,874 authorized positions filled, but many key supervisory roles remain unstaffed. Of the 24 supervisory positions at the headquarters, 16 are vacant, and in the Seoul MCIA, 11 out of 25 divisions lack a head.

Meanwhile, legal experts are closely watching what will become the MCIA's first investigation. The agency is reportedly reviewing whether the recent AI hacking incident that affected the financial sector falls under the category of crimes requiring investigation.

Additionally, many personnel from the former joint investigation team for voice phishing at the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutor's Office and the drug investigation unit at the Suwon District Prosecutor's Office have moved to the Seoul and Suwon MCIA, raising the possibility that drug-related or voice phishing cases may be among the first to be investigated.

In response to various concerns surrounding the MCIA, an agency official spoke with Aju Economy, providing insight into the current internal situation.

Regarding the KICS issue, the official stated, "Reports that it will take three years to complete KICS are generally accurate. We expect it will take that long to establish our own network," adding, "We are currently using the police's system out of necessity."

When asked about the lack of investigations due to staff shortages, the official countered, "I honestly don't know if we are short-staffed. I believe we can deploy enough personnel to start investigations immediately," asserting that the claim of insufficient staff is a subjective judgment.

Addressing concerns about operational disruptions due to the vacancy of the MCIA director, the official stated, "I can confidently say that there are no such issues. The organization is functioning smoothly under an acting system," and added, "A personnel hearing will be held soon, and the director may be appointed shortly. Once in place, we expect a more stable system to be established."