President Lee Jae-myung Orders Corruption Investigation Office to Pursue Crimes by the Powerful
President Lee Jae-myung has ordered the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO), the agency responsible for investigating crimes by public officials and social elites, to strictly pursue such crimes regardless of political affiliation. At a Cabinet meeting he chaired at the presidential office on October 6, Lee said, "Without taking sides, I ask that you thoroughly and without any hesitation investigate the crimes of the powerful, the highly educated, and the wealthy." He urged the agency to uncover the truth behind cases that raise public suspicion, so that neither the wrongfully accused nor those who unfairly profit go unaddressed. The CIO launched on October 2 without a confirmed head, and the National Assembly confirmation hearing for its first nominee, Kim Ji-yong, is scheduled for October 14. The president's remarks are seen as a call for the CIO, which began operating without a chief, to settle into its role quickly.
President Lee characterized the launch of the CIO and the new Prosecution Office as "a historic decision by the people." "Korea is now transitioning to a completely new system," he said. "Never again should investigative or prosecutorial functions be abused or swayed by political power, or fail to carry out their proper roles." He explained that the state had reached the point of abusing its power to frame individuals with crimes they did not commit, leading to the separation of investigative and prosecutorial functions and a complete restructuring of their affiliations.
President Lee also voiced his determination to guard against the abuse of investigative power. "Even if ten guilty people go free, we must never create a single wrongfully accused suspect," he emphasized. "Everyone should understand what it means to bury cases and collect punishment, or to manufacture cases and get ahead" — referring to instances where victims are turned into perpetrators and live with lifelong resentment. After the Cabinet meeting, Lee was reported to have had lunch with acting Prosecutor General Lee Jung-hyun, acting CIO head Jeon Jong-min, and acting National Police Agency Chief Kim Jong-chul, once again stressing the need to establish the new criminal justice system.
Although the meeting was the first Cabinet session held under the new criminal justice framework, its agenda went beyond that. In closed-door sessions, President Lee signaled his intent to address jeonse and monthly rent issues, and Senior Presidential Press Secretary Kang Yu-jung said he "instructed officials to prepare concrete tables of housing measures, including public rental and purchase-based rental programs." Following the meeting, the president posted on X that the government would support jeonse fraud victims in quickly returning to their daily lives and achieving housing stability.
On the CPTPP negotiations, the president called for a measured pace. "Concerns from the farming and fisheries sectors are very serious," he said, directing officials to "not rush toward a predetermined conclusion, but return to square one and restart dialogue with stakeholders." He also revealed plans to increase the rural community co-prosperity fund, currently standing at about 325.5 billion won, to more than 1 trillion won.
