South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok announced Thursday that the government intends to abolish the supplementary investigation authority of prosecutors [1].
This move represents a significant shift in the country's legal framework by attempting to decouple the power to investigate crimes from the power to prosecute them. Supporters argue that this restructuring is necessary to prevent the abuse of power, and to ensure that the fundamental rights of citizens are better protected during legal proceedings [1].
Speaking at a current-affairs briefing at the Government Seoul Complex on June 25 [1], Kim said the abolition of the supplementary investigation authority is the basic position of the government. He framed the decision as part of a broader effort to rationally restructure prosecutorial powers [1].
"The basic principle of prosecution reform is the separation of investigation and prosecution," Kim said [1].
While the executive branch has set the policy direction, the Prime Minister said that the government will not dictate the final legal architecture. Instead, the administration will defer to the legislative branch to handle the technical details of the transition [1].
"We will let the National Assembly, the representative body of the people, sufficiently discuss and decide on the specific system design and legislation," Kim said [1].
The proposal aims to create a more balanced system of checks and balances within the justice system. By removing the ability of prosecutors to conduct supplementary investigations, the government intends to limit the scope of prosecutorial influence over the early stages of criminal cases [1].
“The basic principle of prosecution reform is the separation of investigation and prosecution”
The proposal to remove supplementary investigation powers is a central pillar of South Korea's long-standing debate over prosecutorial overreach. By shifting the legislative design to the National Assembly, the administration is attempting to build a democratic consensus for a systemic overhaul that reduces the monolithic power of the prosecution service, potentially altering how criminal cases are built and litigated nationwide.
