Starting this year, “Legal Advisors” will be newly established and operated at customs headquarters nationwide.
The Korea Customs Service announced on January 19 that it will introduce and operate the position of “Legal Advisor” as part of efforts to establish an internal control mechanism in response to changes in the investigative environment resulting from recent discussions on criminal justice system reform.
This measure is intended to ensure the completeness of investigations by requiring internal legal verification procedures at the investigative stage, before cases handled by the Customs Special Judicial Police are referred to prosecutors.
The Legal Advisor system will begin this year at four main customs offices-Seoul, Busan, Incheon, and Incheon Airport-and will be gradually expanded to customs offices nationwide in the future.
At Seoul Customs and Incheon Airport Customs, internal personnel who possess a lawyer’s license and have practical experience will be deployed immediately. For Busan and Incheon Customs, the plan is to begin operations in the first half of this year after hiring external legal experts.
Legal Advisors will not only review legal issues such as the application of law during investigations, but will also comprehensively examine procedural legality, including compliance with compulsory investigation procedures and measures to protect the rights of suspects.
In addition, if any issues are identified during the investigation process, the Legal Advisor may be consulted at any time. Based on the review results, the Legal Advisor will provide supplementary opinions to the relevant investigative team, thereby supporting the investigation process.
The Korea Customs Service expects that, in the areas of trade and foreign exchange handled by the Customs Special Judicial Police, cases are often complex and involve the overlapping application of multiple laws, resulting in numerous legal issues. Therefore, the expert review and judgment provided by the Legal Advisor will be crucial.
Lee Myunggu, Commissioner of the Korea Customs Service, stated, “By operating the Legal Advisor system, we will enhance the legality of investigations, protect citizens’ fundamental rights, and foster a fair investigative environment, enabling customs to become a trusted investigative agency. We will ensure that Legal Advisors play a key role in strengthening the professionalism and accountability of the Customs Special Judicial Police in the field.”
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