Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Chief Prosecutors Unitedly Oppose Bill to Completely Abolish Prosecution Investigation Function... Statement Delivered to District Chief Prosecutor

by Choi Sukjin

Published 10 Apr.2022 21:30(KST)

Updated 10 Apr.2022 21:32(KST)

Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Seocho-dong, Seoul. / Photo by Choi Seok-jin

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] Senior prosecutors at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office delivered a statement opposing the Democratic Party's push for the "bill to completely abolish prosecutorial investigative functions," known as "Geomsu Wanbak (complete removal of prosecutorial investigative authority)," to Lee Jung-soo, head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, on the 10th.

The senior prosecutors of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, the largest prosecution office in the country, held a meeting from 5:00 PM to 8:30 PM that day and then delivered a statement summarizing the meeting results to Chief Lee. The meeting was conducted both in-person and remotely simultaneously, and according to the Central District Prosecutors' Office, the statement was drafted based on the unanimous opinion of all participating senior prosecutors.

The senior prosecutors gathered their opinions a day before the nationwide district prosecutors' chiefs meeting scheduled for the 11th and delivered them to Chief Lee. It is reported that Chief Lee, who received the statement, expressed the same opinion as the senior prosecutors. The results of this senior prosecutors' meeting were also reported to the four deputy chiefs of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office who did not attend the meeting, and the deputy chiefs reportedly share the same stance as the senior prosecutors.

The Central District Prosecutors' Office stated that Chief Lee will express the same position as the opinions gathered by the senior prosecutors of the Central District Prosecutors' Office at the nationwide district prosecutors' chiefs meeting held at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office on the morning of the 11th.

The statement delivered by the senior prosecutors of the Central District Prosecutors' Office to Chief Lee on that day is as follows.

Results of the Senior Prosecutors' Meeting at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Regarding the Promotion of the "Bill to Completely Abolish Prosecutorial Investigative Functions"

ㅇ The senior prosecutors of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office oppose the hastily pushed "bill to completely abolish prosecutorial investigative functions."

ㅇ If the currently ongoing "bill to completely abolish prosecutorial investigative functions" is realized, the nation's crime response and protection of citizens' human rights will regress.

- If the prosecution's direct investigation of six major crimes and supplementary investigative functions for judicial police investigations are eliminated, the crime response capability will inevitably decrease accordingly, which will directly result in harm to the public.

ㅇ The reform of the criminal justice system, which has been operated based on the Constitution and laws for over 70 years, must be carried out through a process of gathering diverse opinions and reaching consensus.

- Over the past year, new criminal justice systems such as the adjustment of investigative authority between the prosecution and police and the establishment of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials have been introduced but have not yet stabilized. Discussions on measures to address their issues are ongoing, and a complete overhaul into a new criminal justice system without sufficient review will inevitably cause confusion throughout the national judicial system.

ㅇ We request that discussions on reforming the criminal justice system be conducted not only within the political sphere but also by gathering opinions from the judiciary, lawyers, prosecution, police, academia, and civic groups, based on national consensus.

April 10, 2022

All Senior Prosecutors of Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office

Meanwhile, on the morning of the 11th at 10:00 AM, a nationwide district prosecutors' chiefs meeting will be held in person at the 15th-floor conference room of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-dong, Seoul, with participation from chiefs of 18 district prosecutors' offices nationwide. Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Park Sung-jin, and Planning and Coordination Bureau Chief Ye Se-min of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office are also expected to attend.

At tomorrow's meeting, two agenda items are scheduled for discussion: ▲ the bill to abolish prosecutorial investigative authority and ▲ effective measures to ensure fairness and neutrality in prosecutorial investigations. However, the discussion is expected to focus primarily on the bill to abolish prosecutorial investigative authority.