Lee Jae-myung's 'Fair Society' Gains Momentum... Gyeonggi-do Special Investigation Unit's Scope is the Largest Nationwide

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The implementation of a fair society by Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, has gained momentum. This is because the Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police Unit has acquired the largest supervisory authority nationwide.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 7th that on the 1st of this month, it received designation for 21 new duties from the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, significantly increasing the scope of investigative duties of the provincial special judicial police from the existing 87 to 108. This brings Governor Lee Jae-myung one step closer to realizing a "fairer and safer Gyeonggi Province."

Under the current system, to expand the investigative duties of the provincial special judicial police, designation must be received from the competent prosecutors' office in accordance with the "Act on Persons Performing the Duties of Judicial Police Officers and the Scope of Their Duties."

The newly designated duties include 15 areas related to public livelihood such as the Disaster and Safety Act, Facility Safety Act, Mental Health Welfare Act, and Cosmetics Act, as well as 6 areas related to fairness such as the Road Act, Copyright Act, Petroleum Business Act, Measurement Act, Automobile Damage Compensation Act, and Automobile Management Act.

With this expansion of investigative duties, Gyeonggi Province now holds investigative authority related to 108 laws, the highest among the 14 metropolitan local governments operating special judicial police units nationwide.

The provincial special judicial police unit was established in March 2009 and has been leading the realization of a "fair and safe Gyeonggi Province" through investigative activities in six areas directly related to public livelihood, including food, environment, and origin.

Since taking office in 2018, Governor Lee Jae-myung has expanded the special judicial police organization from the previous one division with seven teams to two divisions (Public Livelihood and Fairness) with 20 teams, and has gradually expanded investigative duties to a total of 108 through five phases to fulfill his core pledge of realizing a "fairer and safer Gyeonggi Province."

One of the greatest achievements of the provincial special judicial police is the crackdown on illegal facilities in valleys and rivers. Since last year, Gyeonggi Province has focused on investigating illegal activities in major valleys within the province, uncovering numerous violations, filing criminal charges, and ordering restoration. This case, which eliminated illegal facilities that had been neglected for decades in valleys and rivers and returned them to the residents, is considered one of the policies with high satisfaction among residents.

Additionally, last year, 180 individuals involved in fraudulent pregnancy certificates, special supply for the disabled, and illegal subscription and resale activities were criminally charged. This year, an illegal loan organization that charged an exorbitant interest rate of 31,000% to vulnerable groups was apprehended and sent to the prosecution, marking another major achievement toward creating a "fair Gyeonggi."

The efforts of the special judicial police have been met with positive responses from residents. According to a provincial public opinion survey conducted in September last year, 87% of respondents agreed that the activities of the special judicial police contributed to public safety.

With the addition of these duties, the provincial special judicial police plans to respond strongly to illegal acts related to livestock epidemic prevention measures such as foot-and-mouth disease and African swine fever, as well as the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit petroleum, accelerating the eradication of illegal activities within the province.

In Chi-kwon, Chief of the Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police Unit, emphasized, "A world where people live, a fair world without cheating and privileges, begins with obeying the law," and added, "With the expansion of investigative duties of the special judicial police this time, we expect to move one step closer to a fairer and safer Gyeonggi Province."