National Chief Prosecutors Begin Discussion on 'Prosecution Complete Abolition Bill'... Kim O-su Says "Current Situation Is Very Serious"

Incheon District Prosecutors' Officials "Serious Issues in Human Rights Protection... Public Opinion Must Be Gathered"
Suwon District Prosecutors' Ordinary Prosecutors "Forced Without Sufficient Consideration of Constitutional System... Serious Concerns"

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] Chief prosecutors nationwide have begun discussions on the so-called ‘Geomsu Wanbak (Complete Removal of Prosecutorial Investigation Authority)’ bill being promoted by the Democratic Party of Korea.

On the 8th, chief prosecutors gathered at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to discuss current issues, including the Democratic Party's bill to abolish the prosecution's investigative authority. The meeting was attended by Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo, Deputy Prosecutor General Park Sung-jin, Seoul High Prosecutor Lee Sung-yoon, Suwon High Prosecutor Kim Kwan-jung, Daejeon High Prosecutor Yeo Hwan-seop, Gwangju High Prosecutor Jo Jong-tae, Daegu High Prosecutor Kwon Soon-beom, Busan High Prosecutor Jo Jae-yeon, and Director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute Jo Nam-gwan. The chief prosecutors are expected to hold a lengthy meeting while having boxed lunches.

Following Speaker of the National Assembly Park Byeong-seok’s decision the previous day to transfer Yang Hyang-ja, an independent lawmaker formerly of the Democratic Party, to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the possibility of the bill abolishing the prosecution’s investigative authority being brought to the plenary session has increased.

In response, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office issued an official statement opposing the political push to completely abolish the prosecution’s investigative functions. Prosecutor General Kim stated, "I deeply empathize with the awareness and earnest feelings of the prosecution members and take the current situation very seriously."

Opposition voices against the bill abolishing the prosecution’s investigative authority have also emerged from district prosecutors’ offices nationwide. All prosecutors belonging to the Daegu District Prosecutors’ Office held a video conference expressing concerns that "the nation’s crime response capabilities will be significantly diminished."

Senior officials, including deputy and chief prosecutors of the Incheon District Prosecutors’ Office, stated, "Completely stripping the prosecution of its investigative authority fundamentally changes the criminal justice system by preventing prosecutors from hearing the opinions of parties involved in cases, causing serious problems in uncovering the truth and protecting human rights." They emphasized, "When pursuing such a significant piece of legislation, it is desirable to carefully examine the impact and issues on the entire public and to widely gather opinions from practitioners, criminal law experts, and the public."

Rank-and-file prosecutors at the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office also held a meeting, expressing "serious concerns about the ‘bill to completely abolish prosecutorial investigative functions’ being pushed forward without sufficient consideration of the public’s rights or the constitutional system."

They added, "This is not simply an adjustment of state agency functions but a deprivation of the rights of crime victims to seek redress from the prosecution," emphasizing, "Our constitution specifies the role of prosecutors as legal experts in prosecution and investigation, and this bill directly contradicts the constitution."

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