Jung Sungho: "Definite Shift to Separation of Investigation and Prosecution... Precise Reform Needed"

On August 26, Minister of Justice Jung Sungho stated regarding prosecution reform, "We will ensure a definitive transition to a 'separation of investigation and prosecution' system, where specialized investigative agencies handle investigations and the prosecution focuses exclusively on indictments and maintaining public prosecutions."

Jung Sungho, Minister of Justice. Photo by Yonhap News

On his social networking service (SNS) account that day, Minister Jung said, "The prosecution's investigative authority, especially the right to initiate investigations and to conduct ex officio investigations, has long been abused as a tool for eliminating political opponents and conducting political investigations, deviating from its original purpose of uncovering the substantive truth of cases. These powers must be completely excluded."

He added, "However, we must not forget the essence of prosecution reform, which is to protect the basic rights of the people and create a society safe from crime. The criminal justice system is a public policy used by ordinary citizens, especially crime victims, so we must not overlook details out of impatience."

Minister Jung emphasized, "It is necessary to design practical and thorough systems to prevent the public from suffering due to 'ping-pong' blame-shifting between investigative and prosecutorial agencies, investigation delays, or inadequate investigations. We must achieve a precise reform that minimizes inconvenience to the public."

He further stated, "Reform succeeds only when it works in reality, not just as a slogan. Under the fundamental principle of separating investigation and prosecution within the prosecution, we will establish systems that guarantee public trust and stability."

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