Yoon Chang-ryeol, Director General of the Prosecution Reform Task Force (Minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination), said that as the Prosecution Service is to be abolished in Oct. and a new Prosecution Office established, a "process of public discussion is needed to reduce the range of conflicting interests by investing significant time and effort, rather than leaning toward either side's argument," regarding whether to grant supplementary investigation authority to prosecutors under the new office.
Director General Yoon attended on the 11th a public hearing co-hosted by the Prosecution Reform Task Force under the prime minister and the Korean Bar Association, titled "Public hearing to strengthen investigative agencies' capabilities," and said, "The government will make the protection of the people's human rights and the practical remedy of rights its top principles and design the system to faithfully reflect the original intent of prosecution reform."
Director General Yoon also said, "The president has said that, regarding supplementary investigation authority, 'from the public's perspective, sufficient deliberation and review are needed on whether there are realistically necessary exceptional situations,'" adding, "He has compared reform to surgery and said, 'Rather than criticizing everything wholesale, we should identify the exact cause and separate the wheat from the chaff.'"
On the 3rd, the government submitted to the National Assembly a bill to establish the Serious Crimes Investigation Office and the Prosecution Office. Regarding the bill, opposition is emerging mainly from hardliners within the party, including Democratic Party lawmaker Choo Mi-ae, who chairs the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee.
Director General Yoon said, "The government has reflected most of the opinions collected from the party," adding, "We expect it to be handled in the National Assembly."
Attorney Yang Hong-seok, who attended the hearing, said, "Supplementary investigations are necessary when it is difficult to determine whether to file charges based solely on the results of the first-tier investigative agency (the police or the Serious Crimes Investigation Office, etc.), or when it would be difficult to sustain the charges even if filed," adding, "When side effects from opening or closing a system are clearly anticipated, we should consider and work to minimize those side effects."
Starting with the forum that day, the government plans to go through about 10 rounds of public discussion on whether to grant supplementary investigation authority to prosecutors of the Prosecution Office.