CIO filed few cases while spending billions

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials will mark its fifth anniversary in January 2026. Since opening, it has brought six cases to trial, requested indictments in eight others, and spent about 77.6 billion won.

Documents obtained by The Dong-A Ilbo from People Power Party Rep. Joo Jin-woo on Oct. 22 show the Corruption Investigation Office received 10,988 cases from January 2021 through August 2025. Of these, the office referred six cases to trial, or 0.05 percent of the total.

The records show 4,713 cases, or 42.9 percent, were closed without investigation because they fell outside the office’s jurisdiction or were deemed minor complaints. Another 3,996 cases, or 36.3 percent, were transferred to other agencies, including the prosecution and police. The CIO declined to pursue 1,600 cases, accounting for 14.5 percent of the total.

Over the same period, the office was allocated about 106.8 billion won and spent roughly 77.6 billion won. Annual unspent balances ranged from 2.2 billion won to 5.3 billion won. Special activity funds, exceeding 100 million won per year, were fully spent with no carryover.

A legal expert said that with plans to replace the prosecution service with a new Serious Crimes Investigation Agency in October 2026, policymakers should review the CIO’s achievements and limitations to design a more efficient investigative system.


고도예 기자 yea@donga.com