'National Prosecutors' Meeting' in 19 Years... Discussion on Response to the Complete Prosecution Reform (Comprehensive)

On the afternoon of the 19th, at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office press room in Seocho-gu, Seoul, where a meeting of ordinary prosecutors was held in response to the Democratic Party's legislative push for 'Geomsu Wanbak' (complete removal of prosecutorial investigative authority), Prosecutor Yoon Kyung of Uijeongbu District Prosecutors' Office (right) and Prosecutor Kim Jin-hyeok of Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office are explaining the meeting overview and background.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

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[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] A nationwide meeting of ordinary prosecutors is underway in response to the Democratic Party's legislative push for the 'Geomsu Wanbak (Complete Removal of Prosecutorial Investigation Authority)' bill. Following Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo's meeting with President Moon Jae-in, where he effectively withdrew his resignation and decided to actively participate in the parliamentary discussions, attention is focused on what stance the ordinary prosecutors will take.

The nationwide meeting of ordinary prosecutors will be held on the 19th at 7 p.m. in the auditorium on the 2nd floor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, conducted in a free discussion format. This is the first nationwide meeting of ordinary prosecutors in 19 years since the last one was held in 2003 in protest against then Minister of Justice Kang Kum-sil's personnel policy that broke seniority order. Although meetings on topics such as the adjustment of investigative authority between the police and prosecutors have been held, ordinary prosecutors from across the country have never gathered in one place to discuss.

Yoon Kyung, a prosecutor at Uijeongbu District Prosecutors' Office, and Kim Jin-hyuk, a prosecutor at Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office, who are in charge of public relations for the meeting, stated, "Currently, a legislative process is underway to once again change the criminal law system that was revised just 1 year and 4 months ago. The amendment is directly related to the fundamental rights of the people, and significant issues regarding its content and procedures have been widely pointed out by the Supreme Court, the Korean Bar Association, the Minbyun (Lawyers for a Democratic Society), the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, and the Criminal Procedure Law Society."

They added, "Ordinary prosecutors who are directly responsible for criminal justice practice recognize the problems with the amendment and have been presenting various opinions through the prosecutors' internal network. While sharing concerns about the practical difficulties in implementing the amendment as criminal justice practitioners, they obtained consent from ordinary prosecutors at each office nationwide and decided to hold a nationwide representative meeting of ordinary prosecutors."

The main agenda of the meeting is "Problems with the Geomsu Wanbak bill and countermeasures." There will be no restrictions on the agenda itself, and it is expected to be a forum to gather the consensus of ordinary prosecutors nationwide.

During the meeting, they plan to share problems and cases arising from the passage of the Geomsu Wanbak bill collected from each office and discuss side effects that may occur if normal prosecutorial duties cannot be performed as usual.

It is also reported that they will discuss whether to deliver a unified opinion from the nationwide meeting of ordinary prosecutors to the President and the Speaker of the National Assembly, or whether it is appropriate to convey their stance.

Prior to the meeting, representatives from 18 local prosecutors' offices and 42 branch offices nationwide reportedly went through a process of listening to and collecting opinions from ordinary prosecutors in their respective offices.

Originally, the meeting was scheduled to start in the morning, but due to the large number of prosecutors wishing to attend, it was agreed to hold the meeting after working hours. At the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, the largest prosecutors' office nationwide, 10 prosecutors were expected to attend; 4 to 5 at district offices; and 1 to 3 at each branch office. However, it was later changed so that any ordinary prosecutor wishing to attend could participate.

The meeting will be held privately and is expected to conclude late at night or early the next morning. Afterwards, they plan to organize the meeting contents and issue a statement on the morning of the 20th.

Additionally, chief prosecutors nationwide will hold a 'Nationwide Chief Prosecutors' Representative Meeting' at 7 p.m. on the 20th in the large auditorium on the 2nd floor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul.

About 50 representatives, including senior chiefs from frontline prosecutors' offices corresponding to the 31st to 32nd Judicial Research and Training Institute classes, are expected to attend. It is known that attendance will range from at least one to up to eight per office.

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