Seocho-dong is in the 'Investigation Deliberation Committee Fever'

Lee Jae-yong, Han Dong-hoon, Lee Seong-yoon Application
First Introduced in 2018... Held 13 Times
Police and Public Corruption Investigation Office Also Introduce Review Committee
Appointment of Lawyers Tailored to Review Committee
Limited to Cases of Social Attention
Still a Distant Issue for the General Public
Criticism of Lottery-Style Committee Composition Method

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Yang Chang-soo, chairman of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Investigation Deliberation Committee (former Supreme Court justice), meticulously prepared for the investigation deliberation meeting of Lee Sung-yoon, chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, held on the 10th. He carefully reviewed the committee composition and the scheduling of the deliberation date to avoid controversy. Jeon Moo-gon, head of the Policy Planning Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, who was in charge of the practical work, was astonished. Recently, as the number of meetings of the Prosecutors' Investigation Deliberation Committee has increased and it has become a matter of public interest, Chairman Yang's responsibility is interpreted to have grown heavier.

These days, there has been a significant increase in applications for the Prosecutors' Investigation Deliberation Committee in Seocho-dong. In the legal community, terms like "craze" or "blockbuster" are even being used.

Lee Jae-yong, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics, Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon, and recently Chief Lee Sung-yoon have applied and undergone deliberation. Park Sam-gu, former chairman of Kumho Asiana Group, is waiting for the convening decision after applying.

The Prosecutors' Investigation Deliberation Committee was established on January 2, 2018, during the tenure of former Prosecutor General Moon Moo-il. It was created to address ongoing neutrality controversies regarding prosecution investigations into political cases by subjecting prosecution investigations to external review and control. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office's Prosecutorial Reform Committee, which initially proposed the introduction of the Investigation Deliberation Committee, reportedly had doubts about whether the committee could function properly. There were also many opposing opinions. Since its introduction, the Investigation Deliberation Committee has been relatively smooth sailing. It has convened 13 times in three years, providing important guidance on prosecution investigations.

The popularity of the Investigation Deliberation Committee has prompted other agencies to take action. The National Police Agency also appointed members of the Police Investigation Deliberation Committee and held a meeting on April 13. The High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (Gongu-cheo), which recently started its first investigation, has also decided to establish an Investigation Deliberation Committee.

The legal market has also changed accordingly. There are many cases of lawyers being appointed specifically for the Investigation Deliberation Committee. Among Lee Jae-yong's legal team, lawyer Choi Jae-kyung (former Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs at the Blue House) is well known for leading the recommendation for non-prosecution.

Unlike the cases of major figures, the Investigation Deliberation Committee is a high barrier for ordinary citizens. Although ordinary citizens under prosecution can apply for the Investigation Deliberation Committee, several conditions must be met for it to actually convene. Article 3 of the "Operation Guidelines for the Prosecutors' Investigation Deliberation Committee" stipulates that "cases that raise public suspicion or attract social attention shall be deliberated." It is difficult for ordinary citizens' cases to actually attract social attention.

Passing the sub-deliberation committee is not easy either. The Investigation Deliberation Committee is uniquely established only at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, while each local prosecution office has a sub-deliberation committee composed of 15 citizen prosecutors. When an application for the Investigation Deliberation Committee is made at a local office, the sub-deliberation committee reviews and decides whether the case should be forwarded to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's Investigation Deliberation Committee.

The application of Chae Hee-bong, former Blue House Industrial Policy Secretary (currently president of Korea Gas Corporation), who is under investigation for allegations of manipulating the economic feasibility of the Wolseong nuclear power plant, was dismissed at the sub-deliberation committee stage.

There are many points to improve. The method of selecting committee members, which is like a lottery draw, has also been criticized. When the Investigation Deliberation Committee is convened, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office selects 15 current members by drawing 3 to 4 members from about 200 people in four groups (legal, academia, media, civic groups) to hold the meeting. Because of this, the committee members have been criticized for lacking expertise.

The meeting method, which involves immediately voting after only listening to 30 pages of written opinions and claims submitted by both sides, also needs improvement. Lawyer Kim Jong-min, a former prosecutor, said, "It is nonsense that outsiders who have not seen investigation records or evidence and have not interrogated suspects or witnesses give opinions on the presence or absence of charges and whether to continue the investigation."

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