Odongun, Chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, "Will Investigate in Accordance with the Context of the Office's Establishment"
With Oh Dong-woon, the head of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (age 54, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 27), taking office, the second term of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) has officially begun. The investigation into allegations of pressure interference in the investigation of Marine Corps Corporal Chae's death in the line of duty is expected to become a turning point for the existence of the CIO.
Odongwoon, the newly appointed head of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), who received approval the previous day, is answering reporters' questions as he arrives at the CIO building in Gwacheon on the 22nd. Photo by Huh Younghan younghan@
Although the special prosecutor law for Corporal Chae was passed under the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea, President Yoon Seok-yeol exercised his veto, citing reasons such as the ongoing investigation by the CIO. As a result, attention is expected to focus on the investigation process and outcomes of the CIO going forward.
On the 22nd, during his first commute after taking office, Director Oh responded to reporters' questions about the direction of the investigation into Corporal Chae's case by saying, "I will make sure to manage it well so that there is no disruption to work." Regarding concerns about whether even the president can be investigated without exception, he emphasized, "There is a context in which the CIO was established," and added, "I intend to conduct the investigation faithfully in accordance with that."
Currently, the CIO is accelerating the investigation into the allegations of pressure interference, and it is expected to intensify investigations into higher-ups such as former Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop around next month. If the 21st National Assembly re-votes on the special prosecutor law for Corporal Chae and it passes, the CIO may feel relieved. However, in that case, the opposition would have judged that they cannot trust the CIO's investigation, which is expected to give momentum to the 'CIO uselessness theory.' The bill requiring reconsideration will be confirmed as law if a majority of the total members are present and two-thirds or more of the attending members approve.
The CIO has stated that it will proceed with the investigation regardless of whether the special prosecutor law passes. First, it is urgent for the second-term CIO to dispel the perception that it lacks investigative capability because the director is not a former prosecutor. For this reason, the legal community's consensus is that Director Oh should promptly appoint a deputy director with abundant investigative experience to dispel controversy over investigative ability. According to the CIO Act, the deputy director is appointed by the president upon the director's recommendation from among legal professionals with more than 10 years of experience.
Regarding this, Director Oh said, "(The appointment of the deputy director) is an important task for the CIO and an important task for me," adding, "My idea is not to rush but to bring in a very capable person. I have received recommendations from various places, and when that person comes, I want to be praised for having devoted great effort to discovering an excellent deputy director."
He continued, "I am not particular about the professional background; from the perspective of investigative capability, I will bring in an excellent person to compensate well for my shortcomings."
Filling all the prosecutor positions to complete the team is also a challenge Director Oh must solve. As of last month, there are 19 prosecutors currently working at the CIO, which is below the full complement of 25, including the director and deputy director. Among the investigators, 4 out of 40 positions are vacant. Although some have expressed their intention to resign, their resignations have not been accepted due to the vacancy in the director position. Kim Seon-gyu, the head of Investigation Division 1, who has been acting as director, is expected to leave soon, so finding a new division chief prosecutor is also Director Oh's responsibility.
Although public attention is focused on the investigation into the alleged pressure interference in the Marine Corps case, other major cases pending at the CIO must also be promptly concluded. The CIO holds significant cases such as allegations of a targeted audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection against former Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission Chairperson Jeon Hyun-hee, allegations of official secrets leakage by former head of the Inspection Department at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Han Dong-su, and bribery allegations involving senior police officials. However, due to the collapse of the command line and manpower shortages, the office is effectively at a standstill.
A lawyer, A, who is a former deputy chief prosecutor, said, "The new CIO director is also a former judge with little investigative experience, which is a major weakness," adding, "Recently, even the prosecution has struggled to complete investigations quickly due to the complexity of cases and difficulties in securing evidence. Without a command team to pass on know-how, the new CIO will be no different from the previous one."
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