Assemblyman So Byeong-cheol: "Prosecutors General and Court Presidents, Take the Lead and Raise Your Voices for Prosecutorial and Judicial Reform"

"Urging Active Efforts for Prosecution and Courts Desired by the People"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] An unusual scene unfolded at the Legislative and Judiciary Committee’s National Audit of District Courts and Prosecutors’ Offices, where appeals and requests took precedence over criticisms of work.

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker So Byung-chul (Suncheon-Gwangyang-Gokseong-Gurye Gap, Judiciary Committee) expressed regret over the current situation of the prosecution, which is losing public trust and facing demands for reform, during the National Audit of the Daejeon and Gwangju High Prosecutors’ Offices and their subordinate district prosecutor’s offices held the previous afternoon. He appealed, “I ask the chief prosecutors to take the lead in creating the prosecution that the public desires.”

So said, “The investigative structure that has been maintained for 70 years is undergoing significant changes at this time,” and added, “Your days in office are not far off. When the time comes to leave the prosecution and reflect on the prosecution of this era, you should feel deeply apologetic to your juniors for how things have come to this.”

He also noted, “When comparing the Prosecution Office Act, the Court Organization Act, and the Police Act, only prosecutors are uniquely regulated. Judges are only stipulated in the Constitution to ‘independently adjudicate according to the Constitution and laws and their conscience,’ but prosecutors are described as ‘representatives of public interest’ and are expected to maintain ‘political neutrality.’” He emphasized, “The prosecution can be revived only when it meets the public’s trust and expectations. I urge the chief prosecutors here to contemplate creating the prosecution that the public wants, to digest the public’s thoughts from your standpoint, and to raise your voices to the Prosecutor General and the Ministry of Justice.”

During the regional court audit held in the morning, So mentioned that although the prosecution had been repeatedly called upon by the public to reform, it failed to become the subject of reform itself, which led to even stronger demands for reform. He stressed, “The judiciary must also strive to regain public trust before facing stronger demands for judicial reform,” and warned, “If it fails to reform itself, even stronger judicial reform demands, such as the introduction of trial petitions, will emerge.”

Questions related to personnel principles of the prosecution also followed during the audit. Mokpo District Prosecutor’s Office Chief Yoo Jong-wan (32nd Judicial Examination) responded to So’s question about ‘opinions on personnel principles favoring criminal division prosecutors’ by saying, “Considering the purpose of establishing the prosecution and the protection of human rights and victims, I believe the criminal division should be more activated than it is now,” and added, “I hope criminal investigations become more active and that criminal division prosecutors have more opportunities to receive better evaluations.”

Meanwhile, lawmaker So Byung-chul has been nominated three times as a candidate for Prosecutor General and is recognized for showing a new path as a former high-ranking prosecutor by dedicating himself to nurturing talent at Nonghyup University and Suncheon National University after retirement, without taking the usual preferential treatment for former prosecutors.

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