[2025 National Assembly Audit] Acting Prosecutor General: "Supplementary Investigative Authority Is the Second Line of Public Protection... A Duty, Not a Right"

Legislation and Judiciary Committee Inspection of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office on October 27

Norman Seok, Acting Prosecutor General, emphasized the necessity of supplementary investigative authority at the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee’s inspection, describing it as “the second line of defense and a protective barrier for the public against crime.”

Norman Seok, Acting Prosecutor General, is reporting to the National Assembly Judiciary Committee at the 2025 National Audit held in Yeouido, Seoul on October 27, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

At the inspection of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office held at the National Assembly in Yeouido on October 27, Acting Prosecutor General Seok responded to a related question from Assemblyman Kwak Gyutaek of the People Power Party by stating, “If the police are the first line of defense, the prosecution must serve as the second line of defense.”

Acting Prosecutor General Seok said, “As Acting Prosecutor General, I receive 30 to 50 information reports a day,” and explained, “Among the cases transferred from the police, there are cases where the real perpetrator has been identified, cases where the perpetrator and victim have been found to be reversed, and cases where the mastermind has been revealed-there are 50 such cases per day.”

He added, “Every time I read these, I realize ‘supplementary investigations are necessary’ and think, ‘If this continues for a year, it will amount to nearly 10,000 cases-this is the work we must do.’ That is why I tell the media that the prosecution’s supplementary investigative authority is not a right, but a duty to the public.”

Acting Prosecutor General Seok further emphasized, “While the police conduct investigations well, a second screening allows us to see things from a broader perspective. Our goal is to build a stronger second line of defense to better protect the public from crime, not to demand supplementary investigative authority as a matter of power.”

After Assemblyman Kwak’s questioning, Chu Mi-ae, Legislation and Judiciary Committee Chair from the Democratic Party of Korea, countered Seok’s opinion, asking, “Is that something that can only be solved through supplementary investigations?” Chair Chu pointed out that, according to investigative guidelines, both agencies are supposed to consult with each other, but the prosecution is not sufficiently engaging in such consultations. In response, Acting Prosecutor General Seok replied, “We accept 100% of all requests for consultation that come to us.”

However, Chair Chu stressed, “What matters is that this must be done properly in practice,” and added, “If, from the early stages of an investigation, relevant departments negotiate and work together to gain a deeper understanding of the facts, avoid missing the real perpetrator, prevent investigative process distortions, and ensure the proper application of the law without infringing on human rights, that is what constitutes true supplementation.”

She continued, “You should focus on the aspect of supplementation, but you are approaching it from an investigative perspective. If you combine the two and call it supplementary investigation, it sounds as if you intend to maintain the prosecution’s investigative authority as is.”

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