Deputy Minister Kim Tae-hoon, who will lead the joint investigation headquarters probing allegations of collusion between the Unification Church and Shincheonji, said on the morning commute on the 8th, "Regardless of rank or position, without hesitation, we will uncover the substance of the allegations only in the direction pointed to by the evidence."
Deputy Minister Kim arrived for work at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office in Seocho District, Seoul, at around 8:45 a.m. that day and said, "Since the prosecution and police have formed a joint investigation headquarters, we will do our best to deliver the results the public wants."
When reporters asked, "Between the Unification Church and Shincheonji, which side will you prioritize in the investigation?" Deputy Minister Kim said, "We are still reviewing," and added, "The composition of the headquarters and its location have not yet been decided, so we will discuss them in due course."
The joint headquarters led by Deputy Minister Kim launched on the 6th with a staff of 47 to uncover allegations that religious groups such as the Unification Church and Shincheonji intervened in politics and formed collusive ties. It consists of 25 members from the prosecution, including Kim, and 22 from the police. The prosecution will handle investigations and indictments for referred cases, warrant reviews, and legal analysis, while the police will handle ongoing investigations, warrant applications, and case referrals.
The office was set up where the special counsel on insurrection, which had been housed at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, recently vacated certain facilities, including the 14th-floor interview room.
Going forward, the joint headquarters plans to investigate allegations that religious groups such as the Unification Church and Shincheonji intervened in politics and formed collusive ties. Specifically, the investigation will cover all suspicions related to church–state collusion, including the provision of money or valuables to political and government figures by religious groups and election interference through joining a specific political party.
Deputy Minister Kim held key posts during the Moon Jae-in administration, including head of policy planning at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, head of the Criminal Affairs Bureau at the Ministry of Justice, and fourth deputy chief prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. Under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, Kim rotated through less prominent posts such as prosecutor at the Busan High Prosecutors' Office and the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office before returning as chief of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office in the current administration. In Nov. last year, during the controversy over the decision to drop the Daejang-dong appeal, Kim did not join the statement by front-line chief prosecutors, along with Lim Eun-jeong, head of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office.