SCIA Chief Nominee Pledges Political Neutrality for New Investigative Agency

Kim Ji-yong, the nominee to lead South Korea’s newly created Serious Crime Investigation Agency, pledged to protect the organization’s political neutrality and independence as lawmakers examined his suitability to become its inaugural chief.

Speaking at a National Assembly confirmation hearing in Seoul on Wednesday, Kim said investigations would be conducted impartially and according to law and principle. He also promised that the agency would not yield to external pressure, placing institutional independence at the center of his opening statement.

The hearing comes less than two weeks after the agency, commonly known as the SCIA, was launched on October 2. Its creation is a central part of a sweeping reorganization of South Korea’s criminal justice system. Under the new structure, investigative work is assigned to bodies including the SCIA and the police, while the Prosecution Service is responsible for indictments. The overhaul removes prosecutors’ former power to independently initiate investigations.

That division of responsibilities makes the leadership and early operating standards of the SCIA especially consequential. As the first nominee to head the body, Kim would be responsible for establishing practices that could shape how it handles major cases and coordinates with other law enforcement institutions. His commitment to neutrality is also likely to face close scrutiny whenever the agency handles politically sensitive allegations.

Kim presented four priorities that he said would help the SCIA earn public confidence. They include protecting human rights, strengthening specialized investigative capabilities, conducting thorough supplementary investigations into crimes affecting socially vulnerable people, and preserving political neutrality and independence.

He said the agency must fully perform its role in upholding justice and protecting the public’s daily life. The emphasis on human rights and specialized expertise indicates that the nominee sees the institution’s legitimacy as depending not only on its independence but also on the quality and fairness of its investigations.

The parliamentary hearing gives lawmakers an opportunity to test those promises as the new criminal justice framework begins operating. The practical balance between investigators and prosecutors, as well as the SCIA’s ability to resist political influence, will remain key measures of whether the overhaul delivers the accountability and public trust its architects have promised.