Choo Mi-ae "Adjusting speed now? The establishment of the Jungsuchung must be passed swiftly"

On the afternoon of the 21st of last month, at the signboard ceremony of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office held at the Government Gwacheon Complex, Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae is speaking. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] On the 24th, Justice Minister Chu Mi-ae voiced the need to swiftly pass a law separating investigation and prosecution in the National Assembly, advocating for the establishment of the 'Serious Crime Investigation Agency (Jungsucheong)'.

Minister Chu stated on her Facebook that "No country allows the prosecution to hold both investigative and prosecutorial powers, let alone monopolize the authority to request warrants."

She continued, "After the establishment of the Republic of Korea, when the Criminal Procedure Act was enacted in 1954, Committee Chairman Eom Sang-seop of the Code Compilation Committee emphasized that our country should move toward separating investigative and prosecutorial powers 'soon in the future.' That 'soon' has now passed 67 years."

Minister Chu pointed out, "If we now say we need to slow down, it means the 67 years of wasted time were not enough. Claiming that more discussion is needed is incomprehensible when we know no other country has a prosecution like ours."

She also emphasized, "Even Japan, which introduced the continental legal system to us, pursues justice with investigators handling criminal investigations and prosecutors as legal experts in prosecution. No other country has investigators assigned to each prosecutor's office like ours." She argued, "By establishing the Serious Crime Investigation Agency and removing investigators from prosecutor offices, the separation of investigation and prosecution will no longer be difficult."

Earlier, on the 23rd, the 'Act on the Establishment and Operation of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency,' introduced by Rep. Hwang Un-ha of the Democratic Party of Korea, was submitted to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. The bill aims to transfer all direct investigations of six major crimes currently handled by the prosecution to the new agency, allowing the prosecution to focus on its core duties of prosecution and maintaining public prosecution.