Kim Ji-yong, managing partner at law firm Apex, has been put forward as the first commissioner of the Major Crimes Investigation Agency.
Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung said at a briefing on the 7th that he had decided to recommend Kim from among the candidates, respecting the recommendation of the agency's commissioner nomination committee.
Kim began his career as a prosecutor at the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office and went on to serve as head of the special investigation division at the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office, chief of the second trial division at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, head of the first inspection division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, chief of the Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office, head of the criminal division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and deputy chief of the Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office.
Following the interior minister's recommendation, Kim will be designated by the president and undergo a parliamentary confirmation hearing before the president makes the final appointment.
Yoon described Kim as an investigative and legal expert with ample experience in criminal justice, including investigations, inspections and trials. He added that Kim also has experience managing organizations stably while serving in the leadership of major investigative bodies.
The Major Crimes Investigation Agency launches on October 2. Yoon said the new commissioner must embed the shift to a criminal justice system that separates investigation from prosecution and dispel concerns about investigative gaps in the early stages of the launch. He said he expects Kim to build an agency that places the protection of citizens' human rights as its top priority.
