Minister Jung Sung-ho of the Ministry of Justice said the function of prosecutors to conduct supplementary investigations should be maintained even after the separation of investigation and indictment. The remark came as debate intensifies over prosecutors' authority to order supplementary investigations at the Public Prosecution Office, ahead of the launch of the Serious Crime Investigation Office and the Public Prosecution Office in Oct.
The Minister said in a video congratulatory address at the "1st grand forum on criminal justice reform for the people," held at the FKI Tower in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 8th, "Whatever the name, measures must be put in place to allow prosecutors to judicially supplement the investigations of the primary investigative agency." The forum was co-hosted by the Korea Institute of Criminology and Justice and the Legal Times.
The Minister's remarks are seen as throwing weight behind leaving a certain degree of supplementary investigation authority to prosecutors at the Public Prosecution Office. The government and the National Assembly plan to begin discussions on amending the Criminal Procedure Act after the June 3 local elections, with the survival of the supplementary investigation authority as a key issue.
The Minister said, "Korea's criminal justice system underwent judicial reforms such as the introduction of the trial-centered system in 2008 and the adjustment of investigative authority between prosecutors and police in 2021, and this year faces a major transformation with the separation of investigation and indictment," adding, "Prosecution reform is not an end in itself; the goal is to improve public convenience and make the country safe from crime."
The Minister added that "when the swift investigations of the primary investigative agency are combined with evidentiary supplementation by prosecutors, who are legal experts, the relief of victims' rights and the protection of the people's human rights can be properly realized," noting that a cooperative framework between prosecutors and police, including supplementary investigation authority, needs to be designed.
The forum discussed how to operate the criminal justice system after the separation of investigation and indictment and the issues in amending the Criminal Procedure Act. Representatives from the prosecution and police, the Korean Association of Criminology, the Korean Association of Civil Procedure, and other legal and academic circles attended to address the division of roles among investigative agencies, control mechanisms, and measures to protect victims.
The keynote lectures were delivered by Senior Research Fellow Choi Su-hyeong of the Korea Institute of Criminology and Justice and Professor Park Chan-un of Hanyang University School of Law. Choi presented the results of a "public perception survey on the adjustment of investigative authority," and Park, who served as advisory committee chair of the Prosecution Reform Promotion Team, presented on "prosecution reform and the direction of amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act."