Kim Ji-yong and Acting Prosecutor General Lee Jeong-hyeon Agree on Cooperation

Kim Ji-yong, head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, and Lee Jeong-hyeon, the Acting Prosecutor General, agreed on the need for mutual cooperation during their first meeting since the establishment of their respective agencies.

Kim met with Lee at the Prosecutor's Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, around 2:43 p.m. on October 30. After the meeting, he told reporters, "There was a consensus on the importance of the Prosecutor's Office and the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency in the new criminal justice system and the necessity of ongoing cooperation between the two organizations."

He added, "The Serious Crimes Investigation Agency has many shortcomings as a newly established organization, and it was very meaningful to hear that the Prosecutor's Office would actively support and cooperate with us."

When asked about discussions regarding the authority to accept leniency applications, Kim simply stated, "We agreed to work together effectively." He was noncommittal about whether he would continue to attend Cabinet meetings, saying, "I will consider it."

Leniency allows individuals or companies involved in collusion to report themselves and cooperate with investigations and trials in exchange for immunity from prosecution or reduced sentences. Recently, the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the Prosecutor's Office have expressed differing views on the authority to accept such applications.

The Serious Crimes Investigation Agency has stated that leniency is a method of investigation, thus the authority to accept applications lies with investigative agencies. In contrast, the Prosecutor's Office argues that, based on the principle of prosecutorial discretion in criminal procedure law, prosecutors should hold this authority.

This meeting marks the first official engagement between the heads of the two agencies since their establishment on October 2. Before entering the Prosecutor's Office, Kim explained the purpose of the meeting, stating, "A new criminal justice system is being implemented for the people, and I believe the relationship between the Prosecutor's Office, which is responsible for prosecution and maintaining charges, and the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, which is an investigative body, is crucial."