Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office Eliminates Report Writing During Investigation Process... Implements New Work System

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[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office has decided to abolish the practice of preparing investigation records during the investigation process. This measure follows Gwangju District Prosecutor General Hyeohwan Seop's statement in August that "With changes in the investigation and trial environment due to amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act, the prosecution structure must be reorganized into a trial preparation system. The prosecution must abandon investigation records."

On the 21st, the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office announced the implementation of a new work system to practically realize the fundamental principles of the Criminal Procedure Act?directness and trial-centeredness?and to fulfill its responsibilities as a human rights protection agency. To this end, it will no longer prepare investigation records during investigations but will utilize testimonial evidence obtained through direct questioning in court. Additionally, prosecutors will directly investigate persons involved in cases and ultimately establish an investigation system centered on physical evidence rather than relying on statements.

The Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office will not rely solely on police documents but will directly listen to statements from persons involved in cases and verify and collect physical evidence. In particular, regarding warrant requests, whereas previously decisions were made based only on police investigation records, the office will now fulfill its human rights protection duties by hearing opinions from the responsible police officers and interviewing persons involved in the cases. It plans to comprehensively support police investigations as legal experts by submitting opinions on the necessity of warrant requests to the court or by directly attending warrant hearings to present opinions.

To focus on maintaining prosecutions, the prosecution's work will be centered on trial preparation, and the work system will be reorganized accordingly. Prosecutors will directly interview persons involved in cases and prepare materials usable directly in trials, such as proof plans and witness examination items, while investigators will be reorganized into a trial support team responsible for record management, evidence collection, analysis, and other tasks related to securing physical evidence and supporting trials. The workspace is also being reorganized and operated as a "trial preparation-type" prosecutor's office, where prosecutors and investigators work in separate spaces.

A representative of the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office stated, "Until now, trial prosecutors have been responsible for maintaining prosecutions in court, but going forward, the participation of prosecuting prosecutors in trials will be greatly increased. For cases with intense courtroom disputes, it has been institutionalized in principle that the prosecuting prosecutor will be directly involved and responsible for maintaining the prosecution."

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