Yoon Ho-jung, the Minister of the Ministry of Interior and Safety, announced on August 24 that the budget for the Major Crime Investigation Agency (MCIA), set to launch on October 2, will exceed 450 billion won for the upcoming year.
During a meeting of the National Assembly's Administrative Safety Committee, Yoon responded to a question from lawmaker Jeong Chun-sang of the Justice Innovation Party regarding the MCIA's preparations, stating, "The budget for the fourth quarter of this year is being executed using the remaining funds from the prosecution's budget and contingency funds."
In response to concerns raised by lawmaker Kim Yae-ji of the People Power Party about the potential for excessive rent payments for leased private buildings, Yoon explained, "We have set the rent levels by comprehensively considering appraisal results and surrounding market prices."
Earlier, Kim had projected that the annual rent for the MCIA's headquarters and the Seoul office would amount to over 40.9 billion won based on materials submitted to the Ministry of Interior and Safety.
When Kim inquired whether the monthly rent for the MCIA headquarters and the Seoul regional office at the Renaissance Square in Jung-gu, Seoul, would amount to 3.4 billion won, Yoon replied, "Our calculations do not indicate that amount."
Yoon also addressed Jeong's question regarding the appointment of a former prosecutor as the first head of the MCIA, assuring, "We will ensure that the past wrongful practices of the prosecution do not carry over to the MCIA." He added, "We will pay close attention to personnel matters to ensure that the principle of separation between investigation and prosecution is properly implemented."
On August 19, Yoon announced the formation of a candidate recommendation committee for the first head of the MCIA, stating that they would accept nominations from the public until August 26. Candidates must have at least 15 years of experience in investigation or legal affairs and meet the qualifications set forth in the MCIA Act without any disqualifications.
In response to a question from lawmaker Kim Young-bae of the Democratic Party regarding concerns about potential budget waste due to the relocation of the Daejeon and Suwon MCIA offices after their establishment, Yoon stated, "It was unavoidable to prevent a gap in public safety services rather than waste budget funds."
Additionally, when asked by lawmaker Jin Jong-o of the People Power Party whether a prosecutor suggesting a direction for an investigation constitutes investigation guidance, Yoon clarified, "It is a suggestion of opinion," noting that the law explicitly allows prosecutors to provide opinions related to criminal investigations.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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