Prosecutor's Office Establishes Narcotics and Organized Crime Division... Conditional Treatment and Rehabilitation for Deferred Prosecution

On the 18th, the Ministry of Justice announced at the Cabinet meeting held at the Yongsan Presidential Office that it would discuss the 'Comprehensive Measures for Narcotics Control: Achievements and Future Plans' with other ministries and promote the establishment of a Narcotics and Organized Crime Division (tentative name) within the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.

Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon [Image source=Yonhap News]

First, the Ministry of Justice decided to restore the prosecution's narcotics investigation function by establishing a Narcotics and Organized Crime Division within the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. This was an instruction given by Minister Han Dong-hoon at the Ministry of Justice's weekly executive meeting on the 12th. At the meeting, Minister Han referred to the 'narcotics beverage' incident that occurred in the academy district of Daechi-dong, Gangnam, stating, "This case shows that narcotics are infiltrating everyday life, so it is necessary to mobilize nationwide investigative capabilities."

Since the reorganization of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office is not a legislative matter, the Ministry of Justice can promptly proceed with establishing the Narcotics and Violent Crimes Division according to Minister Han's directive.

Previously, under the Moon Jae-in administration, due to adjustments in investigative authority, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's Violent Crimes Division was merged with the Anti-Corruption Division to form the Anti-Corruption and Violent Crimes Division, and the narcotics and organized crime divisions were reduced to the Narcotics and Organized Crime Section.

Minister Han pointed out that during the previous administration, the prosecution's ability to respond to narcotics crimes was significantly impaired because the prosecution was restricted from directly investigating narcotics crimes. He especially criticized the current Supreme Prosecutors' Office Anti-Corruption and Violent Crimes Division, saying, "The Anti-Corruption Division investigates white-collar crimes, and the Violent Crimes Division investigates narcotics and organized crimes. Having one division oversee both is like having one teacher teach both Korean and mathematics," adding, "This is not an area that can be carelessly mixed and neglected."

Additionally, the Ministry of Justice decided that when the prosecution issues a non-prosecution disposition for narcotics users, it will evaluate the subject's addiction level through a committee composed of medical and drug experts (operated by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) and reflect their opinions by attaching conditions for treatment and rehabilitation. For habitual users and large-scale smugglers, efforts will be made to strengthen penalties by promoting the enhancement of sentencing guidelines for narcotics crimes at the Supreme Court Sentencing Commission.

In correctional facilities, approximately 190 specialized personnel necessary for narcotics addiction rehabilitation will be trained this year, including 103 correctional officers obtaining addiction counselor qualifications and 90 rehabilitation instructors from the Korea Anti-Drug Movement Headquarters.

Addiction rehabilitation education for inmates in correctional facilities will also be expanded. The plan is to operate narcotics-dedicated correctional facilities staffed with healthcare personnel, clinical psychologists, and addiction counselors to ensure systematic addiction rehabilitation within correctional institutions.

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