The South Korean National Assembly has passed the Prosecutor's Office Law, establishing a new independent agency to handle prosecutions and replacing the soon-to-be-abolished prosecution service.
On October 20, the South Korean National Assembly successfully passed the Prosecutor's Office Law with overwhelming support, gaining 164 votes in favor out of 165 members present while one member opposed the vote. The opposition party, the People Power Party, conducted a filibuster during the voting process and subsequently abstained from participating in the final vote. This new legislation is geared towards replacing the existing prosecutor's office, which is set to be abolished in October, with an independent Prosecutor's Office tasked with the responsibilities of prosecution and maintaining public prosecutions. A significant component of this law includes the removal of supervisory powers previously held by the prosecutors over special judicial police officers, and for the first time, limits the jurisdiction of prosecutors under legal rather than executive decree, as well as prohibiting abuse of power by prosecutors and adding 'dismissal' as a potential disciplinary measure.
