Controversy over the launch of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency and the Prosecution Office, with concerns over inadequate leadership formation and system preparation

The Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA) and the Prosecutors' Office officially launched on the 2nd. As the Prosecutors' Office is being reorganized in a direction that separates investigative and prosecutorial functions, the SCIA will handle investigations into serious crimes, while the Prosecutors' Office will operate primarily around prosecution and trialrelated duties. However, both agencies started out with the chiefs' positions vacant, leading to confusion from the outset. As the transition process for the criminal justice information system was not sufficiently organized, inconvenience arose in handling civil complaints and administrative work, and on the ground there were reactions that document intake and system use were not smooth. In legal circles, concerns were also raised over the appointment of senior leadership and preparations for operation. As many of the SCIA's seniorlevel officials were assessed to have progovernment leanings, controversy arose over the political neutrality of the investigative process, and issues regarding trial procedures following the transition to the Prosecutors' Office and the secondment of prosecutors to special counsels were also pointed out in court without being resolved. The government proceeded with followup steps by sending the National Assembly a request for a confirmation hearing on the nominee for SCIA chief. The SCIA and the Prosecutors' Office marked the first day of the institutional overhaul, but organizational restructuring and system stabilization remain tasks ahead.