Prosecutors' Office to Announce 'Telecommunication Investigation Improvement Plan' Next Month... Second Advisory Panel Meeting Scheduled This Week

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency (HCIA), which was embroiled in controversy over 'telecommunication surveillance,' is expected to prepare and announce improvements to telecommunication investigations as early as next month.

According to the legal community on the 20th, the HCIA is scheduled to hold its second investigative advisory panel meeting within this week, where the draft of the telecommunication investigation improvement plan will be presented and discussed. The investigative advisory panel is composed of external experts who review human rights-friendly investigations and provide technical and academic advice necessary for scientific investigations.

Last year, it was revealed that the HCIA conducted excessive telecommunication investigations, including accessing personal information of general citizens as well as political and media figures, which sparked the 'telecommunication surveillance' controversy. In response, the HCIA expressed regret on December 24 last year and decided to prepare an improvement plan for telecommunication investigations reflecting external opinions. On the 3rd of this month, the first investigative advisory panel meeting was held to draft the improvement plan.

The draft reportedly includes the advisory panel members' opinions on internal mechanisms within the HCIA to ensure not only the legality but also the appropriateness of telecommunication investigations. To prevent repeating the process of indiscriminately obtaining personal information by requesting telecommunication data from providers based on court-issued telecommunication warrants, standards regarding the appropriate scope and duration of telecommunication investigation targets are expected to have been proposed.

After the second meeting and final adjustments, the HCIA is expected to finalize the plan and disclose it externally as early as next month.

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