Minister Yoon Ho-jung of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety decided to nominate Kim Ji-yong, 58, a former Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office vice chief (chief prosecutor) from Judicial Research and Training Institute class 28, as the inaugural candidate to head the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency.
The Minister said at a press briefing on the 7th, "Candidate Kim is a legal expert in investigations with ample experience in criminal justice, including investigation, inspection, and trials," and stated accordingly. The Minister plans to submit Kim's nomination in writing to President Lee Jae-myung the same day. After a confirmation hearing, the appointment is expected around the end of the month.
Former Chief Prosecutor Kim, a native of Buyeo, South Chungcheong, is currently an attorney at Apex Law. After graduating from Gongju National University of Education High School and the law school of Sungkyunkwan University, Kim began a career as a prosecutor at the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office and went on to serve as head of the special investigations division at the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office, head of Criminal Trial Division 2 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, head of Inspection Division 1 at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, chief of the Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office, head of the Criminal Affairs Department at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, and vice chief prosecutor at the Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office. Kim left the prosecution in Nov. 2023.
Explaining why the candidate recommendation committee for the serious crimes agency chief selected Kim from among four recommended candidates, the Minister said, "Having served in the leadership of major investigative bodies, (Kim) also has experience in managing organizations in a stable manner." Earlier, the recommendation committee selected four candidates — including Kim, attorney Kim Gwan-jung, attorney Moon Hong-joo, and Lee Yun-je, a professor in the Department of Law at Myongji University — and recommended them to the Minister.
The Minister said, "The serious crimes agency must both establish on the ground the change in the criminal justice system of separating investigation and indictment, and dispel concerns about investigative gaps in its early days," adding, "The public will also expect the agency to contribute to protecting basic rights based solely on law and principles, free from entanglement in specific interests."
The Minister added, "To carry out these tasks without disruption, we judged that, above all, expertise in investigating serious crimes, fairness and neutrality in the investigative process, and the experience and leadership to steer a newly established organization stably are essential."
When reporters asked whether there were concerns about a former prosecutor serving as the inaugural serious crimes agency chief, the Minister said, "The prosecution's investigative expertise needs to be properly transferred to the agency," adding, "Rather than treating being a former prosecutor as grounds for exclusion, we used as the basis for selection whether the candidate can properly realize the intent of prosecution reform and has the qualities to lead the newly established serious crimes agency."
Candidate Kim said, "At this stage, before any nomination, I have no separate position to share," adding, "If a hearing preparation team is formed, I will state my position on the nomination on my way to work." The serious crimes agency's preparation team also said it would form a confirmation hearing preparation team as soon as the president nominates Kim.