National Office of Investigation: "Investigations continue until cases are transferred to SCIA... No 'case ping-pong'"

Continue probe into financial-sector hacking case
Dismiss concerns over delays in initial investigations

Police rejected claims of so-called “case ping-pong” in which investigations are delayed or responsibility is passed back and forth during case transfers with the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA). Police said there would be no investigative gap while the transfer is being considered, because they continue investigating cases even after notifying the SCIA that a case falls within its jurisdiction, until the agency requests a transfer.

Hong Seokgi, chief of the National Office of Investigation at the Korean National Police Agency. Yonhap News.

Hong Seokgi, chief of the National Office of Investigation at the Korean National Police Agency, said at a press briefing on October 27, “Police can basically investigate all cases,” adding, “When we learn that a case falls under the SCIA’s jurisdiction, the law requires us to notify the agency.”

“Notifying the agency does not mean we stop the investigation,” he said, explaining that police continue investigating until the SCIA requests a transfer.

The agency responsible for investigating a recent hacking case involving artificial intelligence (AI) in the financial sector also became an issue. Police notified the SCIA of the case, but the agency decided not to launch an investigation, citing, among other things, the fact that the police investigation was already well underway. Hong said, “The SCIA replied that police had already made substantial progress and that it would be best to let them continue, so this cannot be considered case ping-pong.”

Police also disclosed the status of case transfers following the SCIA’s launch. As of October 20, police had notified the SCIA of 2,002 cases they had identified as potentially falling under its jurisdiction. Most involved violations of the Electronic Financial Transactions Act and the Act on the Refund of Damage Caused by Telecommunications Financial Fraud related to voice phishing, while some involved drug-related crimes. However, detailed statistics by alleged offense could not yet be compiled because the SCIA’s Criminal Justice Information System (KICS) is not yet fully operational. Of the 2,002 cases, the SCIA had requested the transfer of just one, according to police.

Requests for supplementary investigations by police have also increased since the amended Criminal Procedure Act took effect. Hong said that, as of October 26, police had received 8,995 requests for supplementary investigations, up 60% from 5,615 over the same period last year. The requests mainly focused on interviewing additional witnesses, strengthening physical evidence, and verifying facts. “In most cases, investigators ask us to interview witnesses beyond those already questioned or to supplement the physical evidence,” Hong said.

Police said the increase in requests for supplementary investigations has not yet caused any major problems. Asked about the reasons for the rise, Hong said, “Some matters that used to be handled earlier in the process may have shifted to requests for supplementary investigations because there was no authority to conduct them at that stage, while other requests may have increased as investigations were strengthened to prepare more thoroughly for trial.” Police have set up cooperation divisions at metropolitan and provincial police agencies to review requests for supplementary investigations and support investigations at local stations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.