SCIA and Prosecution Service Bills Pass Judiciary Committee Led by Ruling Party; People Power Party Protests (Comprehensive)

The bills to establish the Serious Crime Investigation Agency (SCIA) and the Prosecution Service Agency, which were pushed forward by the Democratic Party of Korea, passed the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly on March 18, 2026.

On the afternoon of the same day, the committee held a plenary meeting at the National Assembly and sequentially approved the bills to establish the SCIA and the Prosecution Service Agency, led by the Democratic Party and other opposition parties with pro-government tendencies. Lawmaker from the People Power Party left the room in protest and did not participate in the vote.

At the plenary meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee held in the National Assembly on the 8th, Chu Mi-ae, chairperson of the committee and member of the Democratic Party of Korea, declared the adjournment. Photo by Yonhap News

The SCIA Act is a follow-up bill to the prosecution reform initiative that has been promoted by the ruling party after the abolition of the Prosecution Service. It stipulates matters necessary for the overall operation, including the organization, scope of duties, and personnel management, of the soon-to-be-established SCIA.

The SCIA will be established as an agency under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and its main investigation targets will be six major crimes: ▲corruption, ▲economic crimes, ▲defense industry crimes, ▲narcotics, ▲crimes such as insurrection and treason, and ▲cybercrime. So-called offenses of judicial distortion, as well as crimes committed by officials of the Prosecution Service Agency, police, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), and courts while in office, will also fall under the SCIA's investigative authority.

The government provision requiring the SCIA to notify the Prosecution Service Agency when initiating an investigation was deleted from the final version agreed upon by the party, government, and presidential office.

The Prosecution Service Agency Act aims to abolish the prosecution’s authority to direct and supervise special judicial police officers, and to legally limit the scope of prosecutors’ duties. Going forward, the Prosecution Service Agency will be exclusively responsible for prosecution, and dismissal will be specifically listed as grounds for disciplinary action, allowing prosecutors to be dismissed without impeachment procedures. However, the head of the Prosecution Service Agency will still be designated as the "Prosecutor General," so the title will remain unchanged.

The duties of prosecutors at the Prosecution Service Agency will be limited to: ▲deciding whether to file an indictment and matters necessary to maintain it, ▲matters necessary for warrant requests, ▲consultation and support for special judicial police in criminal investigations, ▲requesting the proper application of laws to the courts, ▲directing and supervising the execution of sentences, ▲handling or supervising lawsuits and administrative litigation in which the state is a party or participant, and ▲confiscation of criminal proceeds and international criminal justice cooperation.

The SCIA Act and the Prosecution Service Agency Act will take effect from October 2, 2026, and the Prosecution Service and the Prosecution Service Act will be abolished on the same day.

On the 18th, at the plenary meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee held at the National Assembly, lawmakers from the People Power Party, including Na Kyung-won, left the meeting room to abstain from voting on the bill to establish the Serious Crime Investigation Agency. Photo by Yonhap News

The People Power Party strongly objected. Assemblywoman Na Kyung-won criticized Minister of Justice Jeong Seong-ho, saying, "You will go down in history as the worst Minister of Justice for dismantling the prosecution," and added, "Ultimately, President Lee Jaemyung has succumbed to hardliners to secure the cancellation of his own prosecution with this Prosecution Service Agency bill."

In contrast, Chu Mi-ae, the chairperson of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee from the Democratic Party, argued for the necessity of the SCIA and Prosecution Service Agency bills, stating, "The prosecution has failed to come to terms with past wrongdoings, and those who committed insurrection have fearlessly done so, wielding the power of the prosecution."

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