Police investigation chief to lead 38,000 officers under new system

As South Korea overhauls its criminal justice system on October 2, the head of the new National Investigation Headquarters (NIH) will command a force of roughly 38,000 investigative police officers. This makes the NIH chief the leader of the largest investigative body by a significant margin, dwarfing other key agencies in the new structure.

The reforms, driven by amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act, will see the prosecution's role narrowed to indictment only. The new landscape includes the establishment of a Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA) and the existing Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO). The SCIA is projected to have 2,567 personnel, making the NIH's command nearly 14 times larger. The prosecution's investigative staff, which will be disbanded, numbered around 8,000, still less than a quarter of the NIH's strength. The CIO operates with a much smaller staff of 65.

While heads of other major investigative bodies, such as the SCIA chief, will be subject to parliamentary confirmation hearings due to the importance of their roles, the NIH chief will not. This distinction is notable as the NIH chief is a senior police official (Chiwonjang rank) appointed directly by the President. The lack of a confirmation hearing for the police's top investigator raises questions about oversight and accountability within the newly restructured system.