Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office: "The National Assembly Has Undermined a Pillar of Criminal Justice"... "Will Remain a Major Stain on Parliamentary Democracy"

Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Seocho-dong, Seoul.

[Asia Economy Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist Reporter] The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, the largest prosecution office in the country, expressed deep regret on the 30th regarding the ruling Democratic Party's passage of the partial amendment to the Prosecutors' Office Act containing the 'Geomsu Wanbak' (complete removal of prosecutorial investigation rights) at the National Assembly plenary session.

In a statement sent to the press corps in the afternoon, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said, "The National Assembly has betrayed the will of the people and ignored democratic procedures, dismantling one pillar of the criminal justice system that has lasted for 70 years today," and expressed "strong regret over the passage of the 'Geomsu Wanbak' bill at the National Assembly plenary session."

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office emphasized, "Forcing the amendment of the law without sufficient discussion and consultation will remain a significant blot in the history of parliamentary democracy," adding, "The nation's crime response capabilities must be maintained, and the human rights of the people must be thoroughly protected."

Finally, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office appealed, "We earnestly hope that this unconstitutional bill, which goes against these principles, will not be promulgated."

The amendment to the Prosecutors' Office Act passed that day included provisions to reduce the direct investigation targets of prosecutors from the existing six major crimes to two categories: corruption and economic crimes, and to prohibit prosecutors who conducted investigations from indicting cases themselves.

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