The Public Prosecution Office Act, which abolishes the Prosecution Service and creates a new organization dedicated to prosecutions as part of a key prosecution reform, passed the National Assembly's plenary session on the 20th under the ruling party's lead. If President Lee Jae-myung does not exercise the right to request reconsideration (veto), it will take effect on Oct. 2, and the Prosecution Service and the Prosecutors' Office Act will be abolished.
The National Assembly held a plenary session that afternoon and passed the Public Prosecution Office Act with 164 in favor and 1 against out of 165 lawmakers present. The People Power Party, which had staged a filibuster in protest against the bill's passage, did not take part in the vote.
The Public Prosecution Office Act separates the investigative and prosecutorial functions of the prosecution and establishes a Public Prosecution Office dedicated solely to prosecutions. The key point is to weaken the authority and status of public prosecutors by abolishing their authority to direct and supervise special judicial police officers and other powers. Once the law takes effect, the Public Prosecution Office will operate under a three-tier system: Public Prosecution Office, Metropolitan Public Prosecution Office, and Local Public Prosecution Office.
Following passage of the Public Prosecution Office Act, the Democratic Party immediately introduced a bill to create the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA). The SCIA bill places the agency under the Minister of the Interior and Safety and designates six major categories of crimes as key investigative targets: corruption, economic crimes, defense industry crimes, narcotics, insurrection, foreign exchange crimes, and cybercrimes.
In addition, crimes committed while in office by employees of the Public Prosecution Office, police, Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, and court, as well as so-called law distortion cases, were included within the investigative scope. Cases that, under individual statutes, require a complaint or a request for investigation will also be handled by the SCIA. The clause in the original government bill requiring "notification to the Public Prosecution Office when an investigation begins" was deleted after consultations among the party, government, and presidential office.
Shin Jeong-hun, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker who chairs the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, said in a proposal explanation, "Just now, we ended the era of prosecutorial power that has held both investigation and prosecution in one hand for 78 years and gave birth to the Public Prosecution Office," adding, "The SCIA bill corrects the deeply rooted distortions in Korea's power structure and returns to the people the power that has lorded over them."
The People Power Party, protesting the handling of the SCIA bill, immediately resumed a filibuster after it was introduced. Lee Dal-hee, the first speaker to take the floor, said, "The Democratic Party is trying to dismantle overnight the Prosecution Service, which has supported the judicial order for 78 years, under the plausible pretext of prosecution reform," adding, "This is not reform. It is an act of national self-harm aimed at cutting out investigative bodies that do not suit those in power."
Lee said, "How can CIO investigators, who are not even guaranteed job security, stand up to intense pressure from the administration and pursue investigations and prosecutions with conviction?" adding, "The SCIA bill and the CIO Act are the worst regressions, designed to place investigators and prosecutors under political power."
The Democratic Party plans to forcibly end the filibuster on the afternoon of the 21st, 24 hours after it begins, and then pass the SCIA bill.