Head of National Police Agency says no investigation gap on complete prosecution reform... but field calls it "premature"

Abolition of Prosecution's Investigation Rights for Six Major Crimes
Drawing a Line to Alleviate Concerns Over Weakened Response Capabilities

Repeated Opposition Posts on Police Internal Network
"Avoidance of Investigation Departments Will Worsen
Install Mechanisms to Block Internal and External Pressure First"
Leadership Remains Cautious Without Official Position

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Nam Gu-jun, head of the National Police Agency’s National Investigation Headquarters, recently stated at a press briefing, "The police have already been investigating all crimes, including the six major crimes." He drew a line against concerns that the country’s crime response capabilities could weaken if the prosecution’s investigative authority over the six major crimes, including corruption and economic crimes, is removed under the Democratic Party’s proposed ‘Complete Separation of Investigation and Prosecution’ (검수완박) bill. However, voices from the field differ. There are claims that structurally, it is still premature for the police to take on all investigations.

Serious Avoidance of Police Investigation Departments

According to a compilation of Asia Economy’s reporting on the 21st, posts opposing the Complete Separation of Investigation and Prosecution have been continuously appearing on the police internal network ‘Polnet.’ Most of these were written by police officers working on the front lines of investigations. Officer A from the Investigation Division of Daegu Police Agency said, "Currently, avoidance of investigation departments is at a serious level," adding, "With the Complete Separation of Investigation and Prosecution becoming an issue, it is only natural to feel fearful." Since last year’s adjustment of investigative authority between the police and prosecution, avoidance of investigation departments has already appeared within the police, and there are concerns that this phenomenon will worsen due to the Complete Separation of Investigation and Prosecution.

In the case of the Daegu Police Agency, where Officer A is assigned, last year there were about 100 applicants for investigation termination, while only one applied for investigation continuation. Investigation continuation refers to the system for police officers specializing in investigations. He pointed out, "This phenomenon occurred because although we obtained the authority to conclude investigations, the system was implemented without sufficient preparation." The writer also said, "There should have been a gradual transfer of prosecution’s investigative authority, but the leadership did not do so," adding, "It seems the leadership’s mindset is, ‘Our staff will follow orders no matter what. The prosecution should not worry about the police and hand over all investigative authority.’"

"Institutional Measures Must Precede"

Officer A expressed concern, "If the investigative authority is monopolized by the police without control mechanisms, that power will become a very dangerous and cruel weapon." The massive police organization of 130,000 personnel is structurally more susceptible to external pressure than the prosecution. He pointed out that institutional measures to block internal and external pressures, including the independence of the National Investigation Headquarters, must be established first before discussions or opinions on the Complete Separation of Investigation and Prosecution can be made.

Officer B said, "If the hot potato of Complete Separation of Investigation and Prosecution is accepted without any preparation, the police will end up demonstrating the ‘justice for sale’ principle themselves." He noted that the six major crimes investigated by the prosecution mostly involve power-related corruption and economic crimes, which differ from the violent crimes where the police have excelled. He questioned, "At this point, can the police really demonstrate the high level of expertise needed to prove charges?" and criticized, "The unprepared Complete Separation of Investigation and Prosecution is essentially a law telling us not to touch the powerful."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Changed Atmosphere... Leadership in ‘Cautious Mode’

There are also differing internal opinions. On the 17th, the National Police Workplace Council issued a statement in the name of its representatives, saying, "The 53,000 council members support the complete separation of investigation and prosecution." Similar voices were posted earlier on Polnet as well. Regarding this, a sergeant working in the Gyeonggi region said, "These are mostly the opinions of staff not working in investigation departments," adding, "Until now, there has been a tendency to view the concerns of investigation department staff about the Complete Separation of Investigation and Prosecution too cynically."

Internal opposition to the Complete Separation of Investigation and Prosecution began to emerge in earnest after the 18th. Coincidentally, this was the same day Nam, the head of the National Investigation Headquarters, dismissed concerns about a ‘gap in investigation of the six major crimes’ at a press briefing. The police leadership has not yet issued any additional official stance regarding the Complete Separation of Investigation and Prosecution. Earlier, Nam stated at the press briefing, "This is an issue under discussion in the National Assembly," and "Our basic position is to observe the National Assembly’s deliberations."

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