President Kim Osu, Metropolitan Prosecutors' Meeting... "No Final Decision on System Improvement Measures"

"Broadly Gather Frontline Opinions"

On the 2nd of last month, Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo is entering the Supreme Court reception room in Seocho-gu, Seoul, to pay a visit to Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su. / Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo stated that the currently discussed prosecutorial system reform plans have not yet been finalized and expressed his intention to broadly incorporate the opinions of frontline offices.

When internal concerns were raised that the organizational restructuring plans promoted by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, such as the 'one trial division, one prosecutor system' and 'one prosecutor's office, one investigator assignment,' could lead to a weakening of prosecutorial investigative capabilities, he appeared to take a step back, saying he would not ignore the voices from the field.

On the afternoon of the 12th, Kim presided over a meeting of prosecutors in the metropolitan area at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, attended by seven metropolitan district prosecutors excluding the chiefs of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, where he made these remarks.

This meeting was held to hear the opinions of frontline district prosecutors regarding the prosecutorial system reform plans being promoted mainly by the 'People-Centered Prosecution Promotion Team (headed by Deputy Prosecutor General Park Seong-jin)' established at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. It followed a meeting of non-metropolitan prosecutors held on the 9th.

Participants freely exchanged opinions on various issues, including diverse reform plans following the implementation of the new criminal justice system, progress of the People-Centered Prosecution Promotion Team, and operational status of each office.

At this meeting, Prosecutor General Kim said, "The reform plans currently under discussion are not finalized. Going forward, we will broadly collect opinions from the People-Centered Prosecution Promotion Team and frontline offices to prepare reform plans that members can agree upon."

Since January this year, with the enforcement of the amended Criminal Procedure Act and amended Prosecutors' Office Act, the criminal justice system has undergone significant changes for the first time in 70 years. In response, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office established the People-Centered Prosecution Promotion Team last month to reorganize the prosecution organization and work system centered on the people, actively respond to changes in task allocation due to prosecutorial system restructuring, and address limitations on the evidentiary power of suspect interrogation records prepared by prosecutors. Additionally, People-Centered Prosecution Task Forces (TFs) have been established and are operating in six high prosecutors' offices.

The Promotion Team is led by Deputy Prosecutor General Park Seong-jin, with Ye Se-min, Director of the Planning and Coordination Department, and Bok Doo-gyu, Director of the Secretariat at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, serving as deputy heads. Other members include department heads, prosecution researchers, and investigative officers.

The TFs established at each high prosecutors' office are led by the high prosecutor as team leader, with affiliated district prosecutors, deputy high prosecutors, and secretariat directors serving as deputy team leaders. Members include senior prosecutors, prosecutors, investigative officers, and administrative staff.

The Promotion Team and the TFs at each high prosecutors' office are divided into three subcommittees: organizational restructuring, investigative practice innovation, and organizational culture improvement, each pursuing different tasks.

First, the organizational restructuring subcommittee is responsible for ▲expanding and strengthening the trial divisions such as the one trial division, one prosecutor system ▲assigning one investigator per prosecutor's office ▲strengthening investigative and inquiry divisions at district and branch offices and enhancing the role of high prosecutors' offices ▲improving evaluation methods to favor criminal and trial prosecutors.

The investigative practice innovation subcommittee is preparing investigative reform plans centered on the public and human rights, including ▲strict compliance with the 'Human Rights Protection Investigation Rules' and 'Regulations on Prohibition of Disclosure of Criminal Cases' ▲minimizing compulsory investigations.

Lastly, the organizational culture improvement subcommittee is promoting ▲breaking down closed and authoritarian cultures ▲activating autonomous decision-making through autonomous and horizontal cultures ▲creating a gender-equal culture by enhancing gender sensitivity.

Each high prosecutors' office holds TF meetings at least once a month to research and implement reform plans suited to the realities of frontline prosecution offices. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office holds monthly meetings of TF team leaders to share research outcomes between the Promotion Team and the TFs at each high prosecutors' office and finalize detailed implementation plans.

Previously, on the 25th of last month, the Promotion Team held a nationwide meeting of high prosecutors chaired by Prosecutor General Kim to discuss future plans. On the 7th, a meeting was held with secretariat chiefs from 24 high prosecutors' and district prosecutors' offices nationwide to discuss the reorganization of the prosecution investigative officer organization.

Meanwhile, some district prosecutors are reportedly expressing concerns about the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's plans for the 'one trial division, one prosecutor system' and 'one prosecutor's office, one investigator assignment.'

Currently, trial prosecutors typically handle two trial divisions to maintain prosecutions. To introduce the one trial division, one prosecutor system, the number of trial prosecutors would need to double, but realistically, each office would have to reassign prosecutors from the criminal division to the trial division, which could lead to a weakening of prosecutorial investigative capabilities.

The plan to reduce the number of investigators assigned per prosecutor from up to two to one is also expected to inevitably cause a weakening of prosecutorial investigative capabilities.

Recently, following the Ministry of Justice's amendment of the Presidential Decree on the Prosecutors' Office Secretariat, which significantly restricted departments in frontline prosecution offices from investigating six major crimes, and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's plan to reassign investigative prosecutors to trial divisions, some voices have emerged suggesting that, as the establishment of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency and Public Prosecution Office to completely strip prosecutorial investigative powers (known as 'Geomsu Wanbak') faces obstacles, the internal reorganization of the prosecution is effectively turning it into a Public Prosecution Office.

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