South Korea to Establish Virtual Asset Joint Investigation Division Within New Serious Crime Investigation Agency

South Korea announces the organizational structure of its new Serious Crime Investigation Agency, scheduled to launch on October 2, 2026. The agency will employ 2,874 personnel across six regional offices, with 1,089 staff concentrated in Seoul. A specialized Virtual Asset Joint Investigation Division will be established under the Seoul office, taking over digital asset crime investigations from the prosecution and integrating personnel from the Financial Services Commission and National Tax Service.

Virtual Asset Investigation Division

• ▪South Korea's Serious Crime Investigation Agency will establish a Virtual Asset Joint Investigation Division under the Financial Crime Investigation Department of its Seoul regional office.
• ▪The Virtual Asset Joint Investigation Division will incorporate dispatched personnel from other government agencies, including the Financial Services Commission and the National Tax Service.

Serious Crime Investigation Agency Structure

• ▪The Serious Crime Investigation Agency will consist of a main headquarters and six regional offices located in Seoul, Suwon, Daejeon, Daegu, Busan, and Gwangju.
• ▪The Serious Crime Investigation Agency will specialize in investigating seven major crime categories: corruption, economy, defense acquisition, narcotics, rebellion/foreign exchange, cybercrime, and judicial distortion.

Investigator Recruitment Procedures

• ▪Current prosecutors and prosecution investigators can be appointed as Serious Crime Investigation Agency officials without a separate exam if they apply by April 30, 2026.
• ▪External experts, including police officers and lawyers, will be recruited for the Serious Crime Investigation Agency through a competitive career-based hiring process.

Agency Staffing Allocation

• ▪The Seoul regional office of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency will be allocated 1,089 personnel, which is the largest allocation among the regional offices.
• ▪The Serious Crime Investigation Agency will have a total staff of 2,874 people, consisting of 2,567 investigators and 307 general civil servants.

Investigation Authority Transfer

• ▪The Serious Crime Investigation Agency is scheduled to officially launch on October 2, 2026, following the abolition of the prosecution's direct investigative powers.
• ▪The newly established Seoul regional office of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency is expected to take over the role of investigating virtual asset crimes previously handled by the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office.