Lee Administration Finalizes Government Reorganization Plan
Pan-Government Prosecutorial Reform Task Force to Be Formed Under Prime Minister
"Sanctions on Companies Responsible for Serious Accidents"
On September 7, the party-government-presidential office coalition reached a consensus on a government organization reform bill that would abolish the Prosecutors' Office and establish the Prosecution Service and the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency.
Han Jungae, Policy Committee Chair of the Democratic Party of Korea, announced this during a briefing at the Government Seoul Office following the high-level party-government consultation between the Democratic Party, the government, and the presidential office.
Han stated, "The party and government have promoted a government organization reform plan that was developed through in-depth discussions and by gathering opinions from various sectors of society, focusing on the reorganization proposal recommended by the National Policy Planning Committee." She emphasized, "Among the reform plans, prosecutorial reform was discussed most thoroughly." She added, "Achieving prosecutorial reform is a core pledge of the President," and pointed out, "There have been ongoing concerns about unchecked abuse of power and damage to fairness by the prosecution."
Yoon Hojung, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and Han Jungae, Policy Committee Chair of the Democratic Party of Korea, are announcing the results of the 3rd High-Level Party-Government Consultation and the government organization reform plan on the 7th at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
The party-government coalition decided to separate prosecutorial investigation and indictment functions by establishing the Prosecution Service and the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA), with the SCIA to be placed under the Minister of the Interior and Safety. Han explained, "We will abolish the Prosecutors' Office and newly establish the Prosecution Service under the Minister of Justice to handle the initiation and maintenance of prosecutions and warrant requests, while the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency will be established under the Minister of the Interior and Safety to investigate serious crimes such as corruption and economic offenses." When asked whether the head of the Prosecution Service would become the Prosecutor General, in accordance with the constitutional provision on the appointment of the Prosecutor General, she replied, "That is correct."
To develop concrete prosecutorial reform measures, the party and government agreed to form a pan-government prosecutorial reform task force under the Prime Minister's Office, and to prepare specific measures as soon as possible through further consultations. Han stated, "Based on today's agreement, we will promptly submit the amendment to the Government Organization Act to the National Assembly through legislative initiative, and we will strive to have the bill passed by the end of this month so that the reform plan can be implemented before Chuseok." She also requested, "We especially ask for the active cooperation of the opposition party regarding the government organization reform."
Additionally, the party-government coalition decided to implement effective sanctions against companies with frequent workplace accidents. Han explained, "The party requested the government to strengthen support for small businesses with limited safety management capacity to prevent serious accidents in advance, and to prepare effective sanctions to prevent recurrence for companies with frequent accidents." The government responded, "We will focus support on preventing serious accidents at small workplaces and for vulnerable workers, and at the same time implement effective economic sanctions to create a structure where accident prevention benefits both labor and management." Han added, "The party and government will closely coordinate to ensure that the legislative and budgetary tasks included in the comprehensive labor safety plan are carried out without delay."
The party-government coalition also discussed the comprehensive pan-government plan for responding to natural disasters, which is being developed in accordance with President Lee Jaemyung's directive from July. The Democratic Party urged the government to establish fundamental measures to reduce natural disaster damage and to secure sufficient funding for these efforts. In particular, the party requested that the government actively consider prioritizing restoration budgets that are directly linked to residents' livelihoods and the return to daily life. In response, the government explained that it would gradually expand physical infrastructure to cope with extreme weather, strengthen disaster recovery and support for disaster victims, and enhance disaster prediction and response capabilities based on artificial intelligence (AI).
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