Ensuring Fairness Through Legal and System Improvements
Establishing an Efficient Investigative System
The National Office of Investigation under the Korean National Police Agency announced on August 5 that it has established a "Comprehensive Roadmap for Strengthening Investigative Capabilities" as it marks its fifth year since launch.
The core of this roadmap is to ensure the responsibility and fairness of police investigations through improvements in laws and systems. The plan includes revising differentiated regulations between the police and the prosecution regarding exclusive indictment rights and institutional notifications. This will allow the police to secure important investigative leads and information. In addition, to promptly protect victims of stalking and domestic violence, the process will be improved so that judicial police officers can directly request temporary and provisional measures from the court.
To enhance fairness at the initial stage of investigations, when the police intend to formally begin a pre-investigation based on crime intelligence they have collected themselves, they must obtain approval from the head of the police agency.
The investigative procedures will be improved to better guarantee human rights during the investigation process. Remote video interviews will be introduced for persons involved in a case who are not suspects, minimizing inconvenience for the public. The infrastructure for video recording and statement recording systems will be expanded to ensure fairness and transparency in the investigation process.
The plan also aims to establish an efficient investigative system and enhance expertise. For major, significant, or high-profile cases, dedicated investigative systems will be further expanded within city and provincial police investigation departments that have extensive investigative experience, and superintendents and senior superintendents will be assigned to actual investigative duties. There are also plans to expand the Metropolitan Investigation Units, currently only established at the Seoul and Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agencies, to other regions.
Efforts to strengthen the infrastructure for police investigative capabilities, including personnel and budget, will continue. The number of personnel in frontline investigative departments responsible for public safety crimes will be steadily increased, and the budget for investigative activities will also be gradually expanded. The plan also includes strengthening scientific investigation infrastructure by incorporating advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) into investigations.
Park Sungju, Chief of the National Office of Investigation, stated, "I believe there is still a long way to go to earn the trust of the public," and added, "With this roadmap as a starting point, we will reorganize the entire investigation process and further enhance our capabilities to become an investigative agency trusted by the people."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
