Ministry of Justice Converts 14 Prosecutor's Direct Investigation Units to Criminal Divisions... Personnel Changes Next Week (Comprehensive)

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The Ministry of Justice has decided to convert 14 prosecution units, mainly responsible for direct investigations such as the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division and the Public Investigation Division, into Criminal Divisions.

On the 20th, the Ministry of Justice announced that it is promoting a prosecution organizational reform to reduce direct investigations by the prosecution and strengthen expertise in investigating and handling civil cases. The Ministry explained, "Since last October, we have been continuously pursuing organizational reforms to reduce the total amount of direct investigations, such as downsizing 10 special investigation divisions in seven nationwide prosecution offices to six anti-corruption investigation divisions in three offices, and converting 13 direct investigation units into criminal and trial divisions in January this year. This reform is a follow-up measure to those efforts."

According to the reform plan, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office will eliminate four key positions at the deputy prosecutor general level: the Investigation Information Policy Officer, Senior Researcher of the Anti-Corruption and Violent Crimes Division, Public Investigation Policy Officer, and Forensic Investigation Planning Officer. However, the Investigation Information Policy Officer will be downsized to an Investigation Information Officer, and the existing Human Rights Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office will be reorganized into a Human Rights Policy Officer under the deputy prosecutor general. Additionally, a Criminal Policy Officer will be newly established under the deputy prosecutor general.

Furthermore, the Anti-Corruption and Violent Crimes Division, which was the largest among the five departments at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, will be reduced from four departments?Investigation Command, Investigation Support, Organized Crime, and Narcotics?to three departments through integration. The Public Investigation Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office will be reduced from four departments to three. The Criminal Division and Trial and Prosecution Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office will be expanded to four and three departments, respectively, following the previous organizational reform that expanded criminal and trial divisions at frontline offices.

At the nationwide prosecution offices, eight Public Investigation Divisions in seven offices will be reduced to four, and the remaining four divisions in three offices will be converted into Criminal Divisions. Additionally, all six Violent Crime Divisions in six offices and two Foreign Affairs Divisions in two offices nationwide will be changed to Criminal Divisions. The Dedicated Crime Investigation Divisions in three offices will be reduced and converted to two Criminal Divisions in two offices, and the Dedicated Crime Investigation Divisions will also be able to handle general criminal cases. In total, 14 direct investigation and dedicated investigation units across 10 prosecution offices nationwide will be converted into Criminal Divisions.

Seoul Seocho-gu Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office / Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, the largest prosecution office nationwide, will reorganize its structure by redistributing the Criminal and Trial Divisions under the first, second, and third deputy prosecutors. The existing direct investigation units under the third deputy prosecutor, including Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 1 and 2, Economic Crime Criminal Division, Fair Trade Investigation Division, Violent Crime Criminal Division, and Crime Proceeds Recovery Division, will be moved under the fourth deputy prosecutor.

The Ministry of Justice plans to submit the amendment to the "Regulations on the Organization of the Prosecutors' Office" reflecting these changes to the Cabinet meeting on the 25th. In the legal community, it is widely expected that the Ministry of Justice will carry out personnel appointments for mid-level executives at the senior prosecutor level (deputy and chief prosecutors) as soon as the organizational reform plan passes the Cabinet meeting. The Prosecution Personnel Committee for the appointments is also scheduled to be held at 10 a.m. on the 24th.

The Ministry of Justice is reportedly planning to favor prosecutors with extensive experience in criminal and trial divisions over those with special investigation backgrounds in the mid-level executive appointments. It is also said that regional balance and other considerations will be taken into account in assigning key positions in the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. In this mid-level executive appointment, prosecutors from the 29th to 30th Judicial Research and Training Institute classes are eligible for promotion to deputy prosecutors. Promotions to chief prosecutors from the 34th class and to deputy chief prosecutors from the 35th class are also expected.

The Ministry of Justice stated, "We will ensure that the Criminal Divisions converted from direct investigation units do not become 'nominal Criminal Divisions' but function effectively as Criminal Divisions, so that the public can feel the changes and the prosecution can be reborn as a people-centered and human rights-centered institution."

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