Mar 17 • 10:00 UTC 🇰🇷 Korea Hankyoreh (KR)

[Editorial] Agreement on Prosecutorial Reform that Alleviates Concerns Over ‘Prosecutorial Domination’

The Democratic Party of Korea, together with the government, announced a revised bill for a prosecution agency that aims to address public concerns over prosecutorial overreach and will be brought to the National Assembly for discussion.

On the 17th, the Democratic Party of Korea officially presented a revised legislative proposal for a new Supreme Prosecutor's Office and a Serious Crime Investigation Agency, which will be discussed in the National Assembly on the 19th. This proposal is seen as significantly reducing previous public concerns regarding the possibility of prosecutors gaining indirect investigative powers. Party leader Jeong Cheong-rae mentioned that many of the controversial provisions that the citizens were worried about have been deleted or corrected, providing some relief to the public demanding full prosecutorial reform.

The adjustments made to the proposal include revisions that limit the scope of prosecutors’ authority to be outlined only in law rather than in enforcement ordinances. This is a critical change aimed at preventing future governments from easily re-granting investigative powers to prosecutors through simple regulatory changes, a concern raised during the term of former Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon, who had expanded prosecutors' direct investigative scope through enforcement ordinance changes. Additionally, several provisions that would allow the Supreme Prosecutor's Office to exert influence over the Serious Crime Investigation Agency have been removed, effectively preventing prosecutors from intervening in investigative processes.

Despite some concerns about potential impediments to the investigative capabilities of specialized justice police agencies and the overall checks on investigative bodies, the primary goal of the prosecutorial reform remains to end the historical misuse of prosecutorial power. President Lee Jae-myung expressed regret over the level of internal conflict within the ruling party during the preparation of this agreement, emphasizing that more thorough discussions on contentious legislative issues are necessary to prevent future complications.

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