16 Billion Won for the Coast Guard, But How Much for the Prosecution Service?
Signboards, Nameplates, KICS... No Clarity on Budget for Prosecution Service Renaming
When the Coast Guard Changed Its Name in the Past,
Estimated Costs for Logos and U
A proposed amendment to the Government Organization Act, which would change the names of the 'Prosecutors' Office' and 'Prosecutor General' to 'Public Prosecution Office' and 'Chief Public Prosecutor,' respectively, is being rapidly pushed forward by the ruling party. While political circles are focusing on weakening the prosecution by changing its 'signboard,' there is still no clarity on how much budget would be required for the name change or what the cost-benefit would be.
In the past, when the Korea Coast Guard was incorporated into the Ministry of Public Safety and Security and its name was changed from 'Coast Guard' to 'Korea Coast Guard Headquarters for Maritime Security,' an estimated budget of 16 billion won (approximately 12 million USD) was calculated for items such as signboards, uniforms, and repainting of vessels. Even then, there was considerable criticism that these were 'wasteful expenses.' There is a high likelihood that hundreds of billions of won in taxpayer money could be spent on changing the name of the prosecution as well. However, even a cost estimate has yet to be presented.
According to the legal community on September 4, the Democratic Party of Korea began a public hearing on the amendment to the Government Organization Act related to prosecution reform on this day, followed by a legislative hearing and bill proposal on the 5th, and a high-level party-government meeting on the 7th. The ruling party plans to pass the prosecution reform bill at the plenary session on the 25th as scheduled. One of the points of disagreement between the government and the party is the name change for the prosecution. The Ministry of Justice insists that the titles 'Prosecutor General' and 'Prosecutors' Office' should be retained for members of the Public Prosecution Office, which is responsible for indictments, but the Democratic Party argues that all names should be changed.
The main issue is the incidental costs. If the prosecution's name is changed, it will not end with simply replacing the nameplates on buildings. It will be unavoidable to replace the signboards and office plaques of prosecutors' offices nationwide, various road signs, as well as textbooks, civil service exam materials, and law textbooks. Online-based systems will also need to be updated. The Criminal Justice Information System (KICS), the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and Ministry of Justice websites, and the National Law Information Center all operate based on the 'Prosecutors' Office' name. In the private sector, the scope of updates would extend to electronic map services such as Naver, Google Maps, and Kakao Map, as well as databases for media and publications.
In fact, after the Sewol ferry disaster in 2014, when the Korea Coast Guard was disbanded and its name changed to the Korea Coast Guard Headquarters for Maritime Security under the Ministry of Public Safety and Security, it was estimated that more than 16 billion won (approximately 12 million USD) would be needed to replace signboards and logos. Significant financial resources were required for repainting patrol vessels, helicopters, and aircraft, as well as replacing signboards at police substations and patrol cars nationwide, and street signs. As a result, controversy over 'wasting taxpayer money' intensified, and while the eagle-shaped symbol (OI) of the Coast Guard was retained, there was strong criticism that spending tax money on changing the Coast Guard's name was wasteful. Ultimately, the Coast Guard separated from the Ministry of Public Safety and Security after three years in 2017 and regained its original name, 'Korea Coast Guard.'
Discussions about the budget are absent from the overall prosecution reform bill. The materials for the 'Prosecution Reform Public Hearing' held at the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee meeting room on this day did not include the budget as an agenda item. The cost estimate was also not presented in the amendments to the Investigation Agency and Public Prosecution Office Act, which were proposed as party policy by the Democratic Party. If the Investigation Agency is placed under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, additional financial expenditure is expected depending on where the building is constructed and where personnel are assigned, but this discussion is also missing.
Experts have pointed out that the discussion on name changes is skewed towards political justification. Kim Taeyoon, a professor in the Department of Public Administration at Hanyang University, said, "In the case of the Coast Guard, it was absorbed into the Ministry of Public Safety and Security after being disbanded, but the prosecution will be divided into several agencies, such as the Public Prosecution Office and the Investigation Agency, so according to the proposed amendment to the Government Organization Act, the incidental costs will be much higher. Normally, government reorganization is considered an important decision, so incidental costs have not been given much consideration, but this reorganization is so extensive that efforts to reduce administrative incidental costs are absolutely necessary."
Hong Sunggeol, a professor in the Department of Public Administration at Kookmin University, said, "If the name is changed, everything from the organization itself to even the logos on envelopes will have to be changed, so it will be difficult to estimate the cost. Considering that there are about 2,000 prosecutors nationwide, at least 10 billion won (approximately 7.5 million USD) will be required," he said.
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