The Corruption Investigation Agency has reaffirmed its opposition to political calls for transferring investigative powers over the President and lawmakers to the Major Crimes Unit.
During a regular briefing on October 20 at the Gwacheon Government Complex, an agency official stated regarding the issue of power adjustment with the Major Crimes Unit, "We are not specifically considering dividing the authority," adding that the agency will clarify its position at a National Assembly forum scheduled for November.
When asked if any additional opinions had been submitted to the National Assembly, the official replied, "There have been no further submissions, and our stance remains unchanged."
Regarding the potential meeting between Corruption Investigation Agency head Oh Dong-woon and Major Crimes Unit head Kim Ji-yong, the official noted, "There are no specific plans or movements in that regard."
Earlier, on October 13, Oh expressed his opposition to the political argument for transferring investigative powers over high-ranking officials, including the President and lawmakers, during a National Assembly audit, stating, "The investigation of the President and lawmakers is crucial for independence and fairness."
The agency official also reacted sharply to recent criticisms regarding the agency's performance and the calls for power adjustments. He stated, "It is realistically difficult to achieve results when the personnel and organization are not normalized," and emphasized that performance standards cannot be compared to ordinary criminal cases or past police special investigations.
He continued, "To achieve results in line with the agency's founding purpose, normalization of the organization and personnel, as well as institutional improvements, must precede, and we will continue to demand this."
Additionally, the official addressed the agency's stance on major investigations. In response to a civic group's complaint to the agency regarding a 182 trillion won drop in the domestic stock evaluation of the National Pension Service, linked to President Lee Jae-myung, Health and Welfare Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong, and National Pension Service Chairman Kim Seong-joo, he briefly stated, "No dividends have been distributed yet."
Regarding the case of Kim Hyun-ji, the Chief of Staff to the President, who was accused of abusing her power by pressuring independent lawmaker Kang Sun-woo to resign, the official said, "Currently, there are no ongoing cases in the system. I will confirm this separately."
On the investigation into Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, who has been accused of forgery of official documents, the official mentioned that the nature of the complaints varies, and the assignment of the case will be determined soon, but added, "I cannot provide specific details due to the ongoing investigation."
The official also refrained from giving specific updates on the investigation of Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Seung-won, who is under investigation for alleged lobbying related to the Food and Drug Safety Agency.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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