Criminal Trial Paper Documents to Disappear... Bill Passed at Cabinet Meeting

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Paper documents will disappear and be digitized in criminal justice procedures such as investigations and criminal trials.

On the 26th, the Ministry of Justice announced that the bill for the "Act on the Use of Electronic Documents in Criminal Justice Procedures" (Criminal Procedure Electronic Document Act), which stipulates the use of electronic documents in criminal justice procedures, passed the Cabinet meeting. Until now, criminal justice procedures have been conducted based on paper documents, unlike civil or administrative fields.

Once the Criminal Procedure Electronic Document Act is enforced, criminal justice agencies will, in principle, prepare electronic documents instead of paper, and electronic documents will be sent between criminal justice agencies. Also, parties involved in cases can submit electronic documents to criminal justice agencies, and defendants and lawyers can easily and quickly view and print evidence records through computers, etc. If the parties involved agree, delivery or notification can be made via email or text message.

The Ministry of Justice plans to start services around 2024 by promoting the construction project of the next-generation Criminal Justice Information System (KICS) that supports the use of electronic documents. A Ministry of Justice official stated, "We plan to soon submit the bill to the National Assembly and make efforts to have it passed."