Prosecutor's Trial Division to Vacate Courthouse in July... Will It Dispel Allegations of Collusion Between Judges and Prosecutors?

Seoul Central District Court, Seocho-dong, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The prosecution trial division, which has been stationed at the Seoul Seocho District Court Complex for over 33 years, will leave the court building next month.

According to the court on the 2nd, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office sent an official letter to the court on the 30th of last month stating, "We will relocate the trial division office on the 12th floor of the West Wing of the court building on July 5-6."

A court official stated on the same day, "Once the relocation of the trial division office is completed, there will no longer be any prosecution personnel stationed within the court."

Previously, during the construction of the Seocho District Court Complex in 1989, the prosecution provided part of its land in exchange for allocating some space to the trial division responsible for handling trials.

However, both sides have consistently faced criticism that it is inappropriate for them to be stationed in the same space. Additionally, as the court's workload increased, the shortage of space within the building became an issue.

The court officially sent eviction requests to the prosecution starting in March 2019. The prosecution delayed the timing, arguing that suddenly vacating the office without alternatives could harm the public.

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