Im Eun-jeong among roughly 100 prosecutors said to have applied to join new serious-crime agency

A total of 2,375 prosecutors and investigators from the prosecution service have applied for special appointments to the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, set to launch in October. While most applicants are prosecution investigators, a significant number of prosecutors — including Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors Office chief Im Eun-jeong — are also understood to have submitted applications.

According to the agency's launch preparation team, 2,375 people applied before Thursday's deadline, representing 82.6 percent of the agency's total authorized strength of 2,874. The preparation team accepted applications from prosecutors and investigators affiliated with the prosecution service from Aug. 7 through Thursday.

Under the agency's investigator appointment decree, prosecutors and investigators currently employed by the prosecution service may transfer to the agency without going through a separate selection process.

How many prosecutors chose to apply has drawn considerable attention. The preparation team has not disclosed detailed information about applicants, but legal circles estimate the number to be around 100. Senior prosecutors at the chief prosecutor level with 15 or more years of experience, as well as prosecutors who have just passed the 10-year mark, are understood to be among those who applied. Im, widely regarded as one of the prosecution's leading reform advocates, is also believed to have applied and would become a Grade 1 investigator at the agency.

"Senior chief prosecutors attached to the Major Economic Crimes Investigation Unit who haven't been doing particularly well career-wise showed a lot of interest in the agency," one sitting prosecutor said.

A lawyer who worked as a prosecutor for seven years before leaving the service said prosecutors at the 10-year mark would otherwise have to wait more than five years to be promoted to chief prosecutor, whereas joining the agency would allow them to lead investigations at a Grade 3 equivalent rank. "I understand that a number of rank-and-file prosecutors with around 10 years of experience who are genuinely interested in investigative work have also applied," the lawyer said.

Among the agency's authorized investigator complement of 2,567, the staffing breakdown by grade is seven at Grade 1, 16 at Grade 2 and 30 at Grade 3. Numbers increase sharply from Grade 4 onward, with 221 slots at that level. Grades 6 and 7 together account for 1,251 positions — half of all investigators. Structurally, investigators up to Grade 3 are expected to fill management posts at the main office and its six regional offices.

By contrast, junior rank-and-file prosecutors with fewer than 10 years of experience — who would enter the agency at Grade 4 — appear inclined to wait and see. Promotion prospects remain uncertain, and they also retain the option of pursuing a judgeship by leveraging their five or more years of legal experience.

The preparation team plans to review applicants' preferred postings, career histories and areas of expertise in September before selecting those to be appointed under the special process, with appointments timed to coincide with the agency's Oct. 2 opening. Once the organization is up and running, additional special appointments will be conducted targeting prosecutors and staff of the public prosecution office after its organizational structure is finalized. At that stage, the agency also plans to broaden its hiring to include police officers, lawyers and accountants through an open career-recruitment process.