[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The Ministry of Justice is pushing for a legal amendment to increase the number of judges and prosecutors by approximately 600 over the next five years.
According to the legal community on the 8th, the Ministry of Justice plans to announce a legislative notice on the 9th for amendments to the Prosecutor Quota Act and the Judges Quota Act for courts at all levels, which include increasing the prosecutor quota by 220 and the judge quota by 370. Under current law, the prosecutor quota is 2,292 and the judge quota is 3,214. If the amendment passes as announced, the quotas will increase to 2,512 prosecutors and 3,584 judges.
The Ministry of Justice stated, "Following the adjustment of investigative authority, the procedures for handling criminal cases have become more complex, and inefficiencies in work have increased, causing delays in case processing and trials, which in turn has heightened public inconvenience." They added, "In coordination with the Supreme Court’s ongoing efforts to increase the number of judges and significantly expand criminal trial divisions, we are promoting a plan to gradually increase the prosecutor quota over five years."
They further explained, "Through this increase, we aim to strengthen prosecutors’ judicial control and human rights protection roles, enhance capabilities in recovering criminal proceeds and supporting victims, thereby providing the public with high-quality criminal justice services."
The courts have also reportedly expressed the opinion that increasing personnel is essential to alleviate public inconvenience caused by trial delays. The Ministry of Justice intends to complete the legal amendment as soon as possible and reflect it in the appointment of judges and prosecutors next year.
However, the Democratic Party of Korea, which advocates for the reduction of prosecutorial powers, is expected to actively oppose the passage of the amendment.
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