Two final candidates for the chief of the powerful Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials(CIO) have been recommended. 

A recommendation panel said after its sixth meeting on Monday that its final choices among eight candidates are Kim Jin-wook, a senior fellow at the Constitutional Court, and  Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission Vice Chairman Lee Geon-lee. 

Both were recommended by the Korean Bar Association.

The decision was made days after revisions to the CIO law took effect. The revisions effectively incapacitate the opposition's veto power, requiring five of the seven panelists to endorse a candidate, down from the previous six. 

Once the committee officially puts forth its recommended candidates, President Moon Jae-in is expected to nominate one of the two for a parliamentary hearing.

The new agency is expected to be launched as early as the middle of next month.