“Discussions on Supplementary Investigations and Referring All Cases Must Be Based on Restoring Trust in the Prosecution”

Second Round of Prosecution Policy Advisory Committee
Third Discussion Since Inauguration
Supreme Prosecutors’ Office: “Reflecting Opinions from Academia, Legal Circles, and Civil Society”

The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office announced on November 25 that external advisory committee members on prosecutorial policy have expressed the opinion that “restoring public trust in the prosecution is urgently needed.”

According to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, this discussion took place at the “Prosecution Policy Advisory Committee” meeting held on the 15th floor conference room on November 24. Advisory committee members, including Chairman Kwon Youngjun (Distinguished Professor of Business Administration at State University of New York, Korea), emphasized the need to restore public trust in the prosecution. They cited the importance of addressing investigation delays and establishing control measures to prevent abuse of investigative authority, supported by empirical statistics related to supplementary investigations. While supplementary investigations and referring all cases to trial are important, they stressed that restoring public trust should take priority.

This advisory group was launched on April 30 last year. It serves as a forum to discuss improvements to the prosecution system and the necessity of supplementary investigations by prosecutors. The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office stated, “We will listen to the opinions of internal members, academia, legal practitioners, and civil society to ensure that the criminal justice system is designed from the perspective of protecting the public interest.”