Lee Junseok Proposes Bill to Abolish CIO: "Incompetence Exposed in Yoon Investigation"

Reform New Party lawmaker Lee Junseok is explaining the purpose of proposing the bill to abolish the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office at the National Assembly Communication Office in Yeouido, Seoul on the 11th. Photo by Yonhap News

Lee Junseok, a lawmaker from the Reform New Party, proposed a bill on March 11 to abolish the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (CIO). He argued that the CIO has proven its incompetence, citing its inadequate investigation into President Yoon Suk-yeol, which led to the cancellation of his detention, and therefore, its abolition is necessary.

At a press conference held at the National Assembly on the same day, Lee stated, "The investigation process into President Yoon has exposed the CIO's incompetence and overreach to the public," and insisted that discussions should be held on either reforming or abolishing the CIO.

Lee further criticized, "The CIO forcibly took over the investigation of an insurrection case that should have been handled by the police, failed to properly execute the arrest warrant, and did not conduct a single proper interrogation during the detention period. Ultimately, we witnessed the disastrous situation where the core suspect had to be released due to the cancellation of the detention order."

He went on to point out, "Since its launch, the CIO has burned through nearly 20 billion won in annual budgets over the past four years, yet it has only directly prosecuted five cases. Among those, only one case resulted in a guilty verdict in the second trial."

He emphasized, "The CIO has essentially become a 'protection agency' for high-ranking officials' crimes, rather than an investigative body."

Lee added, "Many citizens are deeply skeptical as to why we created and continue to maintain such an incompetent and inefficient investigative agency. The Democratic Party and the progressive camp, who created this dysfunctional CIO, squandered state budgets, and caused public distrust in the judiciary, must deeply reflect and take full responsibility."

After the press conference, Lee told reporters, "It is very disappointing that the Democratic Party, as the main opposition, is not actively addressing this issue," and added, "I believe the Democratic Party made a fundamental mistake in designing the judicial system."