Ministry of Justice to Establish Public Official Personnel Verification Organization (Comprehensive)

Abolished Chief Civil Affairs Officer's Office Duties Transferred
New Minister-Direct Personnel Information Management Unit Established
Responsible for Public Office Candidates and Economic Fields
Verification Task Transfer Controversy Expected to Intensify

Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon is attending the full meeting of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts held at the National Assembly on the 19th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The Ministry of Justice is establishing a new organization dedicated to personnel background checks for public officials, a function that was abolished with the launch of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's Blue House Civil Affairs Office.

On the 24th, the Ministry of Justice announced a legislative notice for the "Partial Amendment Ordinance of the Enforcement Rules of the Ministry of Justice and Its Affiliated Agencies Organization." According to the amendment, a Personnel Information Management Division Chief will be newly established under the Minister of Justice, with Personnel Information Officer 1 and Personnel Information Officer 2 positioned beneath. The total staff will consist of 20 members (1 prosecutor or senior public official, 3 prosecutors, 1 grade 3 or 4 official, 4 grade 4 or 5 officials, 4 grade 5 officials, 3 grade 7 officials, 1 grade 8 official, 1 grade 9 official, and 2 police inspectors). Personnel Information Officer 1 will be a prosecutor, while Personnel Information Officer 2 will be a deputy director, prosecution deputy director, secretary, or prosecution investigation secretary. Personnel Information Officer 1 will collect and manage social sector information related to public office candidates, and Officer 2 will handle economic sector information.

The Ministry of Justice explained, "The authority to collect and manage personnel information on public office candidates, previously held by the Chief of the Personnel Innovation Office, will be entrusted not only to the Presidential Chief of Staff but also to the Minister of Justice." It added, "Accordingly, the Personnel Information Management Division Chief will be established within the Ministry of Justice to oversee these tasks."

Previously, personnel background checks for public office candidates were exclusively handled by the Public Office Discipline Secretary Office under the Presidential Civil Affairs Secretary Office. When the Personnel Innovation Office delegated the background check authority to the Blue House, the Public Office Discipline Secretary Office would request cooperation from the prosecution and police to obtain verification materials and conduct the checks.

During the presidential campaign, President Yoon Seok-yeol announced plans to abolish the Blue House Civil Affairs Office and transfer the personnel background check function to the Ministry of Justice and prosecution. This decision was influenced by his personal experience with the Civil Affairs Office's abuses while serving as Prosecutor General. President Yoon stated that during his leadership of investigations into cases involving the administration, he faced interference and external pressure from the Blue House Civil Affairs Office. After his election, he said, "There can be no so-called Sajik-dong team," and added, "The Civil Affairs Office frequently controlled investigative agencies under the guise of legality to suppress political opposition and conducted personal background checks disguised as reputation verification. We will eliminate these remnants."

The Ministry of Justice's legislative notice is expected to intensify controversy surrounding the transfer of personnel background check duties. The Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun) and others expressed concerns that "information on public officials will accumulate under the Ministry of Justice, which oversees the prosecution, resulting in the Ministry holding all information, investigation, and prosecution powers directly or indirectly." Former Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye also noted, "There are criticisms about the over-expansion of the Ministry of Justice," and said, "If the personnel background check function is to be placed under the Ministry of Justice, some institutional measures such as partitions seem necessary."