Democratic Party to Finalize Prosecutorial Reform Proposal on August 26
"No Adjustment of Speed" Confirmed After Party-Government-Presidential Office Discussions
The Democratic Party of Korea will finalize its proposal for prosecutorial reform on August 26. After discussions among the party, the government, and the presidential office regarding prosecutorial reform, it was confirmed that there is a consensus that "there will be no adjustment of speed."
On August 7, at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Min Hyungbae, chair of the Democratic Party's Special Committee on Normalization of the Prosecution, met with reporters following a trilateral consultative meeting on prosecutorial reform. He stated, "We plan to hold a meeting on the 26th to finalize the draft bill for prosecutorial reform," and emphasized, "There will be no adjustment of speed." The meeting was attended by Kim Minjae, Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, as well as committee members Park Kyuntaek, attorneys Kim Namjun and Kim Sungjin, and others.
The Democratic Party's prosecutorial reform proposal centers on abolishing the prosecution's investigative powers and completely separating investigation and indictment functions. The special committee is discussing the abolition of the current Prosecutors' Office and dividing its functions and authority among new agencies through the following bills: the Public Prosecution Office Act, the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency Act, the National Investigation Commission Act, and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials Act.
It has been reported that proposals include establishing the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, or placing the National Investigation Commission directly under the Prime Minister. However, Min clarified that the special committee's prosecutorial reform proposal "will be finalized at next week's committee meeting."
He said, "The direction is almost the same whether it is the proposal from the National Policy Planning Committee, the parliamentary prosecutorial reform task force, or the special committee, but the special committee has not yet made a decision," adding, "The government side has not presented any particularly different opinions." He further explained, "The statement that there will be no adjustment of speed means that there are no major disagreements between the party, the government, and the presidential office."
Regarding the direction of abolishing the prosecution's supplementary investigative authority proposed by the special committee, he also stated, "No unit has raised any objections."
Meanwhile, it has been reported that a government-wide prosecutorial reform task force led by the Prime Minister will be established. Min commented on this, saying, "The task force will not draft the prosecutorial reform proposal itself, but rather, once the proposal is finalized, it will prepare necessary follow-up measures for the government, such as personnel, organization, and budget."
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