Prosecutor General and Police Chief Meet... Prosecutors and Police Join Forces Against Stalking Crimes (Comprehensive)

Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok is visiting the Seoul Seodaemun-gu Police Agency on the 19th and greeting Police Chief Yoon Hee-geun. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok visited the National Police Agency on the 19th to pay a courtesy call on Police Commissioner Yoon Hee-geun.

At around 10 a.m. that day, Prosecutor General Lee visited the National Police Agency in Migeun-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, to meet with Commissioner Yoon and other police leadership. Regarding his choice of the police agency as the first external institution to visit after his inauguration, he explained, "The police and prosecution share the common goal of protecting the lives, bodies, safety, and property of the people from crime," adding, "I decided to make this first visit with the thought of creating opportunities to cooperate on various issues with the police."

During the meeting with Commissioner Yoon, Prosecutor General Lee stated, "We plan to discuss ways to cooperate with the police in strictly responding to crimes that infringe on people's livelihoods, including stalking crimes that surfaced after the Sindang Station murder case and jeonse fraud." Regarding the Sindang Station murder case in particular, he said, "I feel a deep sense of responsibility for failing to protect the lives and bodies of the people," and added, "I understand that the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and the National Assembly are preparing various institutional improvements and revising laws, but beyond that, we will seek ways for the two agencies to cooperate focusing on victim safety within the current legal framework."

On the issue of disagreements between the prosecution and police regarding the Ministry of Justice's enforcement decree following the 'Complete Removal of Prosecution's Investigation Rights' law (검수완박법), Prosecutor General Lee said, "The police and prosecution share the belief in protecting the fundamental rights of the people and are cooperating to respond to various crimes," adding, "We will work closely with frontline police and leadership to ensure there is no cause for concern."

After the meeting with Commissioner Yoon, Prosecutor General Lee stated through the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, "We discussed close cooperation measures to respond to crimes infringing on people's livelihoods." He particularly noted, "Regarding stalking crimes, we agreed on actively utilizing detention investigations and provisional measures to prioritize securing the safety of victims." The Supreme Prosecutors' Office announced that it plans to build a cooperative relationship through practical consultations between local prosecutors' offices and police to ensure there are no gaps in protecting the fundamental rights of the people.

Commissioner Yoon also announced plans to establish a consultative body with the prosecution regarding stalking crimes. At a press conference held after his meeting with Prosecutor General Lee, he said, "The Supreme Prosecutors' Office and our National Police Agency, and at the regional level, local prosecutors' offices and corresponding police stations will form consultative bodies to closely consider similar cases when they occur and handle provisional measures or warrants together," adding, "This has already been communicated with the Prosecutor General."