Yoon: "Prosecutors and Police Should Not Compete but Leverage Strengths for Synergy"

Resolution of 'Amendment to Investigation Rules' at Cabinet Meeting
Focus on Resolving Side Effects of Investigation Authority Adjustment between Prosecution and Police under Previous Government
President Yoon: "We Should Not Compete Against Each Other in Front of the People"

President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 10th, "The prosecution and police must think solely of the people and do their utmost to ensure public safety and prompt protection of rights through mutual cooperation."

On the same day, President Yoon made this request regarding the 'Amendment to the Regulations on Mutual Cooperation between Prosecutors and Judicial Police Officers and General Investigation Guidelines,' which was approved at the morning Cabinet meeting.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the Cabinet meeting held on the 10th at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The amendment to the investigation guidelines was created after the adjustment of investigative authority between the prosecution and police in 2021, which led to unclear responsibility for various cases. As concerns grew over side effects such as delays in investigating public livelihood cases and inadequate investigations, the investigation guidelines were improved within the current legal framework to enable the prosecution and police to cooperate, take responsibility for cases, and conduct investigations promptly. President Yoon emphasized that the prosecution and police "should not compete against each other in front of the people but rather leverage each other's strengths to create a synergistic effect."

This amendment includes provisions such as the obligation for investigative agencies to accept complaints and accusations, investigation deadlines for each investigation stage, reduction of the police's authority to close investigations, and strengthening of the prosecution's supplementary investigation authority. The focus was on resolving the side effects caused by the adjustment of investigative authority between the prosecution and police, which was promoted through amendments to the Prosecutors' Office Act and the Criminal Procedure Act during the previous Moon Jae-in administration.

First, a provision obligating investigative agencies to accept complaints and accusations was newly established, preventing them from rejecting such filings. Prosecutors or judicial police officers must accept complaints or accusations received, and if an investigation is conducted based on the complaint or accusation, the investigation must be completed within three months from the date of acceptance.

Standards for investigation deadlines that investigative agencies must comply with at each investigation stage were established. Prosecutors will decide whether to request supplementary investigations from the police, and the police must promptly complete supplementary and re-investigations. This is expected to alleviate public inconvenience caused by widespread investigation delays such as "no news even after one year of supplementary investigation." The investigation deadline for complaint and accusation cases is set at three months, the deadline for prosecutors to request supplementary investigations is one month, the deadline for the police to carry out supplementary and re-investigations is three months, and the deadline for prosecutors to transfer cases to the police is one month.

The scope of supplementary investigations by the prosecution for police-transferred cases, which was previously limited, has also been expanded. The "principle of police-exclusive supplementary investigations" has been abolished, allowing the prosecution and police to reasonably share responsibilities according to the specific characteristics and circumstances of each case. The criteria for sharing include ▲ the extent of necessary supplementary investigation ▲ investigation progress period ▲ suitability of the investigative body ▲ mutual respect and cooperation between the prosecution and police. A government official said, "This is exactly in line with the public's desire for complaint and accusation cases to be processed more quickly and for their grievances to be heard," adding, "We hope the investigation guidelines will function as 'livelihood guidelines' that can improve public convenience even slightly."

Additionally, President Yoon warned regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict, saying, "Optimism is out of the question." He judged that if the Middle East conflict causes a sharp rise in international oil prices, it will inevitably have a considerable impact on domestic prices, including interest rates. Earlier, in his opening remarks, President Yoon said, "Armed conflicts and wars in the Middle East have led to rising international oil prices and cost-push inflation, increasing the burden of prices on our people," and urged, "The government must not let its guard down, closely respond to external instability factors, and do its utmost to prevent the worsening of difficulties in people's livelihoods."

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