Pan-Government Prosecution Reform Task Force Launched; Yoon Changryeol Appointed as Head

Following the revision of the Government Organization Act, the Prosecution Reform Task Force (the Task Force), which will oversee follow-up measures for prosecution reform, was officially launched on October 1. The head of the task force is Yoon Changryul, Minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination.

According to the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the task force consists of a total of 47 government officials from related agencies, including the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Personnel Management, and the Ministry of Government Legislation.

The recently passed Government Organization Act centers on the abolition of the Prosecution Service. There is a one-year grace period before the law is fully implemented. During this period, the task force plans to: ▲ prepare draft legislation to establish the Public Prosecution Office and the Serious Crimes Investigation Office (SCIO); ▲ prepare amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act; ▲ draft and revise approximately 180 related laws and 900 subordinate regulations; and ▲ comprehensively prepare for the operation of the new organizations, including designing sub-organizations, determining staffing levels, recruiting personnel, securing office space, allocating budgets, and building necessary systems. The task force will also operate an advisory committee composed of experts from academia and the legal profession to gather a wide range of opinions.

In addition, to collect opinions from relevant ministries on prosecution reform, the head of the task force will convene the Prosecution Reform Task Force Council as needed. The council will include vice ministers from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, as well as the First Deputy Minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, and deputy heads from the Ministry of Government Legislation and the Ministry of Personnel Management.

A task force official stated, "We will meticulously implement follow-up measures through extensive collection of opinions and thorough review of key issues, to ensure that the core principle of separating investigation and prosecution is firmly established, thereby achieving the essential goals of protecting citizens' rights and human rights."