Paper Documents Will Disappear from Criminal Case Investigations and Trials Starting in 2024

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Paper documents are expected to disappear from criminal trials and investigation procedures starting in 2024.

On the 28th, the Ministry of Justice announced that a bill mandating the use of electronic documents in criminal justice procedures has passed the National Assembly plenary session. While digitization has already been implemented in patent, civil, and administrative lawsuits, paper documents have been exclusively used in criminal litigation and investigation procedures until now.

According to the newly enacted law, electronic documents will have the same legal effect as paper documents in criminal justice procedures starting three years from now. Criminal justice institutions such as the Ministry of Justice, prosecution, courts, and police will, in principle, create and exchange electronic documents using electronic signatures during investigations and trials. Paper documents submitted by parties involved in cases will also be scanned and digitized. As a result, defendants will be able to easily and quickly access and print evidence records on their computers, and the time spent by investigative agencies or courts reviewing large volumes of paper documents will be reduced, leading to more efficient investigation and litigation procedures. To prevent concerns about abuse such as personal information leaks due to record accumulation, the retention period of electronic documents will be limited.

The service will begin in the second half of 2024, when the new law takes effect. A Ministry of Justice official stated, "We expect that the transparency and promptness of criminal cases will be enhanced, and the convenience of accessing and copying records will increase, thereby fully guaranteeing the defense rights of suspects and defendants."

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