Yoon Seok-yeol: "Prosecutors Must Change Too... Reflecting on Essential Powers and Duties of Prosecutors"

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is entering the Judicial Research and Training Institute in Jincheon, Chungbuk on the morning of the 14th to attend the new chief prosecutor leadership enhancement program.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Yoon Seok-yeol, Prosecutor General, emphasized on the 14th that "with the passage of the bill adjusting investigative authority between the police and prosecution, there will be significant changes in the criminal justice system," and that the prosecution must also change.

On the morning of the same day, at a lecture for prosecutors promoted to chief prosecutors held at the Legal Research and Training Institute in Jincheon, Chungbuk, Prosecutor General Yoon said, "It is time to deeply reflect on the essence of prosecutors in accordance with changes in the criminal justice system," adding, "We need to examine not only the elements of the crime but also the punishability and whether it is appropriate to allocate public resources. Matters that should not be resolved through criminal issues should be decriminalized, and we must change what needs to be changed."

This is interpreted as his acceptance of the adjustment plan pushed and decided by the ruling party and government amid various opinions inside and outside the prosecution regarding the investigative authority adjustment bill. Regarding the limitation on the evidentiary power of prosecutors' interrogation records, Yoon reportedly said that while trying cases based on prosecution records may help reduce costs and improve efficiency in the national judicial system, "since laws and public perception have changed, the prosecution must also change."

However, he stated, "The most important aspect in investigation, prosecution, and criminal justice procedures remains the role of the prosecutor, and the prosecutor is the leader driving the criminal justice process." He also said, "Since the constitutional spirit is the core value system of the nation that all citizens agree upon, the prosecution's resources should be used to uphold it," adding, "We need to take a long-term view and consider what the essential authority and responsibilities of prosecutors are."