Fewer Prosecutors, More Cases... Prosecution Offices Nearing Paralysis

Number of Prosecutors at Regional Offices Plummets Nationwide

Regular Special Prosecutor Appointments, Judicial Distortion Charges, and Surge in Unsolved Cases

"Even With Supplementary Investigation Rights, Current Manpower Is Insufficient f

With the launch of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA) approaching, a combination of a 'prosecutor exodus' and the dispatch of prosecutors to special investigation teams has resulted in a sharp decline in the number of prosecutors at frontline offices nationwide. As the number of unresolved cases rapidly increases due to the reduction in investigative personnel, and with additional strains from dispatched, training, and on-leave staff, there are concerns that local prosecution offices are nearing a state of paralysis.

According to the Ministry of Justice on March 5, the current number of prosecutors is only 2,049, falling significantly short of the statutory quota of 2,292. Excluding roughly 300 prosecutors who are on special investigation assignments, training, or leave, the actual number of prosecutors handling cases at local branches is estimated to be only around 1,700 to 1,800. One deputy chief prosecutor commented, "If you look at the assignment chart for local branches, there are almost no mid-career prosecutors with more than five years of experience," adding, "Even if a public prosecution office is established, it would be nearly impossible to maintain prosecutions with such staffing levels."

Amid these challenges, the permanent establishment of special investigation teams and the introduction of new offenses such as judicial distortion have further increased the workload. Ahn Mihyun, Deputy Chief Prosecutor at the Cheonan Branch of the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office, recently stated on Facebook, "If I handle 200 cases a month, I am essentially working under the risk of being sued for judicial distortion by 200 parties," adding, "Conversely, if I handle only 50 cases a month, the risk of being sued is proportionally lower."

Jang Jinyoung, Chief Prosecutor of Criminal Division 1 at the Suncheon Branch of the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office, also wrote on the internal network (Epros), "The actual number of prosecutors at work has dropped to about half of the quota, but the number of cases and the workload have not decreased at all," adding, "In addition to handling transferred and non-transferred cases, suspension of investigations, and warrant work, enhanced evidentiary responsibilities, increased trial workloads due to more court panels, and more complicated case procedures have all combined to make the job even more demanding."

For this reason, there are concerns among frontline prosecutors that, even with the authority to request supplementary investigations, it will be difficult to utilize this power effectively due to the shortage of personnel. Unless the number of experienced prosecutors is dramatically increased, there is simply not enough capacity to re-examine cases and direct supplementary investigations with the current staff shortage.

According to the Ministry of Justice, the hiring of experienced prosecutors remained in the single digits from 2016 to 2023, but increased to 32 in 2024 and 24 last year. However, considering the number of departures and the total quota, this is still insufficient to fill the ongoing personnel gap.

The number of unresolved cases is surging. The total number of unresolved cases across all prosecution offices nationwide jumped from 57,327 in 2023 to 64,546 in 2024, and then to 96,256 last year. The number of long-term unresolved cases—those that remain unresolved more than three months after being transferred—also exceeded 10,000 for the first time in 2023, then increased from 18,198 in 2024 to 37,421 in 2025.

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