Specialized and Public Security Divisions Shrink Sharply, Power Investigations Face Inevitable Gaps

Soon-to-Pass Prosecutor Organization Reform Plan
Reduction in Size of Anti-Corruption and Public Investigation Divisions
Concerns Over Weakened Power Investigation Capability After Reorganization

Seoul Seocho-gu Supreme Prosecutors' Office building. / Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The prosecution organization reform plan being promoted by the Ministry of Justice strongly emphasizes strengthening the functions of the criminal and trial divisions, a focus consistently highlighted since Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae took office. However, it also reflects an intention to downsize the direct investigation departments, namely the Anti-Corruption Division (Special Division) and the Public Investigation Division (Public Security Division). This has raised concerns that the prosecution's role as a check on power may be weakened.

According to the legal community on the 18th, the 'Partial Amendment Ordinance on the Regulations Concerning the Organization of the Prosecutor's Office,' which the Ministry of Justice plans to submit to the Cabinet meeting on the 25th, includes provisions to abolish positions such as the Senior Research Officer of the Anti-Corruption and Violent Crimes Division, the Public Investigation Policy Officer, and the Forensic Investigation Planning Officer at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. Additionally, the Anti-Corruption and Violent Crimes Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office will be reduced from five departments to three, and the Public Investigation Division will be cut from three departments to two. All these measures target the prosecution's representative direct investigation units, the Anti-Corruption Division and the Public Investigation Division.

The Anti-Corruption and Public Investigation Divisions at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office have historically led numerous investigations into powerful figures. Major cases such as former President Lee Myung-bak's alleged ownership of DAS, the Park Geun-hye?Choi Soon-sil gate, judicial corruption during former Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae's tenure, the Unified Progressive Party's alleged rebellion conspiracy, former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk's family corruption allegations, and the Ulsan mayoral election interference allegations have all passed through these divisions.

However, legal experts analyze and worry that if the Anti-Corruption and Public Investigation Divisions are halved by this reform plan, the prosecution's capacity to respond to such power-related investigations will effectively decline. In fact, since the Ministry of Justice proposed the organizational reform plan in January, focusing on downsizing these divisions at frontline offices, power-related investigations at these offices have effectively stalled. Until last year, investigations into former Minister Cho's family corruption allegations and the Ulsan mayoral election interference, involving many close associates of the president, were conducted comprehensively, but since then, there has been no news, supporting this concern.

Concerns have also grown due to the decline in the prosecution's response to financial crimes after the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office's Joint Securities Crime Investigation Team was disbanded through the organizational reform at that time. Financial fraud is a crime involving specialized knowledge and large-scale personnel, often committed by so-called 'professionals,' and the disappearance of the joint investigation team has been criticized for reducing investigative capacity and efficiency. A representative example is the 'Optimus scandal' that emerged this year. Currently, the First Investigation Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Oh Hyun-chul) is handling the case, but the investigation into the main figure, former CEO Lee Hyuk-jin, remains at a standstill.

Some expect that the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office, which is scheduled to be launched in the future, will take over power-related investigations. However, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) planned to launch last month is currently facing delays due to a deadlock between the ruling and opposition parties over the appointment of the CIO chief. There are even talks that launching within this year may be difficult. The concern is that if the prosecution's direct investigation departments are hastily downsized before an alternative institution for power investigations is established, a gap in investigative capabilities is inevitable.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.