Prosecutors are pushing to build the "Criminal Justice Research Library" (tentative name, hereinafter the criminal justice library) next to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office headquarters. It could open as early as 2029.
According to legal sources on the 5th, prosecutors plan to build the criminal justice research library in the parking area next to the main gate of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-dong, Seoul. The total floor area will be 9,000 square meters (about 2,723 pyeong), with two underground levels and five above ground. Construction is set to start in the second half of next year, with completion targeted for 2029.
The new criminal justice library will operate as a complex facility that brings together public-facing, experiential, and research functions in one place.
The prosecution history hall and experience center currently inside the Supreme Prosecutors' Office building will be moved to the first basement and first floor of the criminal justice library. The aim is to allow citizens to use them freely. At present, members of the public must make reservations in advance to tour the prosecution history hall and experience center. Individual tours are also restricted. Going forward, since they will be run in a separate building, public access is expected to improve.
A specialized criminal justice library will be located on the second floor. Prosecutors plan to develop it as a data hub for criminal justice. Reading rooms will also be operated so that the general public and researchers can use them freely.
The third floor will house a media center with a briefing room and a preservation archive. The fourth and fifth floors will feature research and workspaces and seminar rooms. Prosecutors plan to use the site as a space for research on the criminal justice system and academic exchanges. They also plan to build a criminal justice research system based on artificial intelligence (AI) and big data.
However, prosecutors said the plan to build the criminal justice library is unrelated to the opening of the Public Prosecution Office in Oct. The project has been pursued for years due to the aging of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office building and a shortage of space. A prosecution official said, "The floor-by-floor layout and construction schedule are still under internal review."