Prosecutor General Kim Osu: "Geomsu Wanbak Means Abolishing the Prosecution"

Meeting with Park Kwang-on, Chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 14th
"Criminals will become happy"
"Hope the mistake of 교각살우 is not repeated"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Hyun-ji] Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo visited the National Assembly on the 14th and stated, "The core of completely abolishing the prosecution's investigative function is to eliminate the prosecution."

On that day, Kim met with reporters at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, and said, "Article 12, Paragraph 3 of the Constitution explicitly stipulates the prosecution's investigative function," adding, "If the investigative function of prosecutors stipulated in the Constitution is completely abolished, those who commit various crimes such as voice phishing fraud, power-type corruption, corporate corruption, and financial crimes will be happy." He continued, "If our society is dominated by corruption and crime and filled with crime, the people and the nation will be unhappy."

He also expressed concerns that stripping the prosecution of investigative rights could lead to increased workload for the police and courts. Kim said, "Isn't there already criticism that the police's workload is increasing due to the adjustment of investigative rights?" He added, "It is appropriate for the courts to receive cases after the prosecution legally examines and supplements investigations to see if there are issues, but if all cases are immediately transferred to the courts, the burden on trials will increase."

Kim emphasized, "If there are problems with the fairness and neutrality of prosecution investigations, only those parts should be corrected, and it would be good to enact special laws," adding, "I hope we do not repeat the mistake of 'cutting the branch on which one is sitting'."

Kim Oh-soo visited the office of Park Kwang-on, Chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, at 10:30 a.m. that day to convey his opposition to the so-called 'complete abolition of prosecution's investigative rights' bill.