Prosecutors Urge "Hurry Up Forming Dedicated Investigation Team"... Will the LH Scandal Trigger Prosecution Inquiry?

Report on 'Dedicated Investigation Team' Plan by Today... Cho Nam-gwan: "Make It So People Say 'As Expected, It's the Prosecution'"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The Supreme Prosecutors' Office is set to receive reports on plans to form 'Dedicated Investigation Teams for Real Estate Speculation Offenders' within prosecution offices nationwide and will establish investigation directions. This move aims to actively support the resolution of the LH (Korea Land and Housing Corporation) scandal despite limitations in investigations due to variables such as the adjustment of investigative authority between the police and prosecution. Acting Prosecutor General Cho Nam-gwan urged, "Please put in effort so that people say, 'The prosecution is indeed the prosecution.'"

According to frontline prosecution offices on the 2nd, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office will receive reports on plans to form 'Dedicated Investigation Teams for Real Estate Speculation Offenders' within 43 prosecution offices nationwide (including district and branch offices) by the afternoon. This is only three days after Acting Prosecutor General Cho ordered a 'full-scale response to eradicate real estate speculation,' including the formation of dedicated investigation teams. Previously, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office instructed all prosecution offices nationwide to expand the dedicated investigation teams and to 'arrest all public officials involved in speculation and seek the maximum legal penalty.' It also included a re-examination of real estate speculation cases disposed of in the past five years.

Following the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's instructions, frontline prosecution offices agreed to submit their plans for forming dedicated investigation teams by the afternoon and immediately begin establishing investigation directions. The five branch offices in the metropolitan area under the jurisdiction of the 3rd New Towns (Goyang, Bucheon, Seongnam, Ansan, and Anyang branch offices) submitted plans to organize the dedicated teams within the Criminal Division 1 and Criminal Division 3, consisting of one chief prosecutor, three to four prosecutors, and six to eight or more investigators.

In particular, the Ansan branch office, which has jurisdiction over Gwangmyeong and Siheung New Towns?the starting point of the recent LH scandal?expanded its dedicated team by adding prosecutors to the existing team led by Chief Prosecutor Lee Gon-hyung of the Financial and Economic Division (Criminal Division 3), which consisted of four prosecutors and eight investigators. A team official explained that the personnel composition was adjusted according to the nature of the work, focusing more on overall support rather than direct investigations. The Anyang branch office, which has jurisdiction over Anyang, Gunpo, Uiwang, and Gwacheon adjacent to Gwangmyeong and Siheung New Towns, also formed a dedicated investigation team consisting of four prosecutors including a chief prosecutor and eight investigators.

However, frontline prosecution offices shared a common stance that even with dedicated investigation teams, there are limitations to direct investigations, so they will primarily focus on 'police cooperation and communication support' tasks. These include legal reviews, assistance with warrant applications, and recovery of criminal proceeds during case transfers. A representative from a district branch office said, "Even if frontline offices form dedicated investigation teams, the scope they can actually reach is limited, so it will not be easy to produce results that the public expects. Ultimately, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office needs to take the lead in setting investigation directions and establish a system to share information with frontline prosecution offices."

Additionally, regarding the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's recent directive to re-examine real estate speculation cases already disposed of within the past five years, each prosecution office will establish internal standards and begin reviewing cases. It was judged physically difficult to review the vast amount of cases from five years, and this is also the only direction the prosecution can take in the current LH scandal. Cases subject to 'retrial orders' can be investigated by the prosecution under criminal law even if they are not included among the six major crimes subject to direct investigation. Another representative from a district branch office stated, "Although it will not be easy for the prosecution to directly produce results due to the adjustment of investigative authority between the police and prosecution, we will cooperate with the police to find meaningful traces in past real estate speculation cases as public expectations and concerns continue."

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