Increase of 4 Compared to Last Year, 1 Auditor Dispatched by Board of Audit and Inspection
Transition Team Also Considering 'Reduction of Prosecutor Dispatch'
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] The Ministry of Justice has dispatched 50 prosecutors to 35 institutions, including the Board of Audit and Inspection, the National Intelligence Service, and the Financial Supervisory Service, this year. Notably, one prosecutor was newly dispatched to the Board of Audit and Inspection, where no prosecutors had been dispatched last year.
According to the 'Status of Prosecutor Dispatch to External Agencies over the Past Six Years' submitted by the Ministry of Justice to Representative Kim Nam-guk's office on the 30th, a total of 50 prosecutors have been dispatched as of September.
In 2017, 62 prosecutors were dispatched to 37 institutions; in 2018, 58 prosecutors to 36 institutions; in 2019, 58 prosecutors to 37 institutions; in 2020, 46 prosecutors to 33 institutions; and in 2021, 46 prosecutors to 33 institutions, showing a declining trend, but the number increased again as of September this year.
Prosecutor dispatches have been criticized for causing collusion between prosecutors and inspectors and producing politically motivated prosecutors. The Presidential Transition Committee of President Yoon Seok-yeol also announced in April that it was considering reducing prosecutor dispatches in this regard.
However, contrary to this trend, the Ministry of Justice increased the number of prosecutor dispatches. In particular, one prosecutor was dispatched this year to the Board of Audit and Inspection, where no dispatches occurred in 2020-2021.
Representative Kim stated, "The prosecutor dispatch system was introduced in the past when there was a shortage of legal professionals, but now the side effects such as obstruction of investigations and improper solicitations have increased," and added, "We will consider revising related regulations, including Article 44-2 of the Prosecutors' Office Act, to reorganize the prosecutor dispatch system."
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