Assemblyman Park Gyuntaek, "Adjustment Needed to Reduce Prosecution Special Activity Expenses"

"Verification of Whether Special Activity Funds Are Misused as 'Incentive Payments' by the Special Investigation Unit"

On the 26th, Park Gyuntaek, a member of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee (Democratic Party, Gwangsan-gu Gap, Gwangju), demanded a ban on the misuse of the prosecution's special activity funds and called for institutional improvements during the budget settlement review subcommittee.

Park Gyuntaek stated, "I requested execution data to verify the transparency and appropriateness of the use of special activity funds," adding, "This is to confirm whether the special activity funds are being misused as a 'reward system' for special divisions that frequently conduct political investigations."

He specifically explained that he intends to closely examine the allocation details of special activity funds for the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office, and Seongnam Branch Office, which have been conducting political investigations targeting opposition party leaders.

Park said, "If problems are revealed in the execution of special activity funds, we plan to significantly cut the special activity funds in next year's budget or consider converting the reduced portion into allowances for human rights protection activities of criminal division prosecutors and investigators who perform work closely related to the daily lives of the people, as well as allowances for investigative activities for the underprivileged."

Meanwhile, Park strongly pointed out that there should be no unofficially dispatched prosecutors and investigators at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. He emphasized, "In a situation where frontline criminal divisions lack personnel to protect the rights and interests of ordinary citizens, it is highly inappropriate for the already oversized Supreme Prosecutors' Office to pull in more prosecutors and investigators," adding, "Prosecutors and investigators should be sent back from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to the frontline field to focus on the prosecution's core duties."

In 2023, the prosecution spent 7.895 billion won in special activity funds but has refused to submit essential detailed execution statements and supporting documents necessary for the National Assembly's budget settlement review. On the 26th, during the Legislation and Judiciary Committee's budget settlement subcommittee, faced with intensive questions and demands for data submission from lawmakers, the prosecution stated it would strive to disclose what is possible.