The prime minister's office said on the 21st that it has completed forming the "Task force for government innovation respecting the Constitution (hereafter the overarching TF)" and has begun full-fledged activities.
The overarching TF is tasked with inspecting and managing so that TF activities by each agency can proceed quickly. It is composed of an external advisory group (four members) to enhance the fairness and objectivity of the investigation and staff from the prime minister's office (20 people, including those holding concurrent posts) for practical support.
The TF plans to carry out: ▲ overall process management, ▲ the prime minister's office's own investigation, and ▲ operation of a tip-off center.
The external advisory group consists of four experts from each field: Director Im Tae-hoon of the Center for Military Human Rights (military), former North Jeolla Provincial Police Agency Commissioner Choi Jong-mun (police), attorney Kim Jeong-min (law), and Korea National Open University professor Yun Tae-beom (organization and personnel). The term runs from that day through Feb. 13 next year.
The appointed experts plan to provide not only more in-depth review opinions on the investigation processes and results related to the military and police, where many suspicions are being raised, but also professional advice and counsel on whether there are any defects across the investigation as a whole and whether process management is appropriate from the perspective of organization and personnel operations.
A "treason tip-off center" will also be established under the overarching TF. The center will receive tips through various methods such as in-person visits, mail, phone, and email, review their credibility, and forward tips deemed to require agency-specific investigations to the relevant agencies.
To protect the anonymity of whistleblowers and prevent indiscriminate anonymous letters, the prime minister's office limited the center's operation period to through the 12th of next month. The center will be set up separately for each of the 49 central administrative agencies, including 12 priority management agencies.
The formation of each agency's TF for government innovation respecting the Constitution, which will be in charge of the actual investigations, will also be completed within the day, and full-fledged activities will begin starting next week.
Minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination Yoon Chang-ryeol, who serves as Director General of the overarching TF, said, "The purpose of the TF for government innovation respecting the Constitution is, above all, the swift restoration of constitutional order and the integration and stability of the public service," adding, "The prime minister's office will take responsibility and conduct inspections so that the investigation processes and results of each agency's TF can be sufficiently objective and fair."