South Korea Creates Major Crimes Investigation Agency With 2,874 Posts

South Korea’s Ministry of the Interior and Safety has promulgated Administrative Safety Ministry Decree No. 643, the enforcement rule establishing the internal organization of the new Major Crimes Investigation Agency (중대범죄수사청) and its affiliated offices. The rule, published in the Official Gazette (관보) No. 21328 of 23 September 2026, fixes the agency’s support and auxiliary bodies, their division of duties and a combined staff of 2,874 posts. It takes effect on 2 October 2026.

The decree implements the Act on the Organization and Operation of the Major Crimes Investigation Agency (법률 제21491호, promulgated 24 March 2026, effective 2 October 2026), which separates investigation from prosecution, abolishes the prosecution service, creates the Public Prosecution Service (공소청) under the Minister of Justice and places the new investigation agency under the Minister of the Interior and Safety. It was issued under the delegated authority of the Organization of the Major Crimes Investigation Agency and Its Affiliated Institutions (대통령령 제36602호, promulgated 25 August 2026, effective 2 October 2026), which set the agency’s organization, scope of duties and overall staffing.

Headquarters: support offices and three investigation bureaus

At headquarters, the rule places support units under the Inspector General (감찰관), the Spokesperson, the Planning and Coordination Officer, the Personnel Policy Planning Officer and the Investigation Information Officer, and creates three investigation bureaus:

• Economic Crimes Investigation Bureau: Economic Crimes Division, Financial Crimes Division, Antitrust Division and Criminal Proceeds Division.
• Anti-Corruption Investigation Bureau: Anti-Corruption Division, Narcotics Division, Public Safety Division and Fund Tracing and Accounting Analysis Division.
• Forensic Investigation Bureau: Cyber Technology Division, Digital Investigation Division and AI and Virtual Asset Analysis Division.

The Inspector General’s office comprises the Inspection Officer, the Audit Officer and the Human Rights and Gender Equality Officer, while the Planning and Coordination Officer oversees budget and finance, international cooperation, information and communications, and emergency safety affairs.

Staffing: 396 at headquarters, 2,478 in affiliated offices

• Headquarters: 396 posts — the agency head, one grade-1 investigator, eight grade-2, eight grade-3, 315 investigators at grade 4 or below, 60 general-service officials at grade 4 or below and three professional career officers.
• Affiliated offices: 2,478 posts — six grade-1 investigators, eight grade-2, 22 grade-3, 2,198 investigators at grade 4 or below, 205 general-service officials and 39 police officers at the rank of superintendent or below.
• One grade-4 post handling emergency safety duties is to be filled by a fixed-term official.

Six regional offices and evaluation status

The rule establishes regional agencies in Seoul, Suwon, Daejeon, Busan, Daegu and Gwangju. Seoul’s office adds financial crimes, antitrust, narcotics and advanced investigation bureaus, including divisions for tax crimes, international economic crimes, virtual assets, voice phishing, and defence industry and industrial technology.

• Headquarters: four officers and 11 divisions with 236 posts designated as evaluation-target organizations.
• The six regional offices: 18 officers and 52 divisions with 1,443 posts.
• Seoul regional office: 15 divisions with 511 posts.
• All are subject to evaluation until 30 June 2029.

Transitional provisions allow investigators appointed under the supplementary provisions of 법률 제21491호 and 법률 제21490호 (공소청법) to be assigned to lower-grade posts until surplus staff match the new quotas.

The decree completes the organizational groundwork for the agency’s launch on 2 October 2026, turning the statutory framework into named units, ranks and 2,874 funded posts. For readers, it defines who will investigate major economic, corruption, narcotics, cyber and industrial-technology crimes — and how many people will do it — from the first day the new body begins work.

Source: 관보 (Official Gazette of the Republic of Korea), No. 21328, 23 September 2026, Part I (부령), p. 7 (official reference: 행정안전부령 제643호).