The ruling Democratic Party(DP) has selected two people to sit on a panel that will recommend candidates for the head of a new agency to probe corruption involving high-ranking government officials.

On Monday, the DP said the party supreme council has approved the selection of Prof. Kim Jong-cheol from Yonsei University Law School and Jang Seong-geun, former head of the Gyeonggi Central Bar Association.

The ruling party said Kim has ample experience researching constitutional reforms and actively campaigned to improve state systems, while Jang's years of experience in the judicial community were expected to enrich the scope of panel discussions.

The DP plans to submit its selection to National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug for formal appointment.

In protest of the new investigative agency, set to be launched Wednesday, the main opposition United Future Party(UFP), which has the right to select two panel members, is boycotting the process.