▲ Kim Yong-min, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and the chair of the first subcommittee of the National Assembly’s Legislative and Judiciary Committee, convenes the first subcommittee’s bill review session at the National Assembly on the 25th.
The Democratic Party and the government will hold a public hearing on prosecutorial reform, focusing on the abolition of the prosecutor’s office and the separation of investigation and prosecution rights, at the Legislative and Judiciary Committee’s plenary session on the 4th.
According to the Democratic Party, the committee will discuss the prosecutorial reform plan, which will be included in the amendment to the Government Organization Act slated for a plenary session vote on the 25th.
Representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the legal community, and the government are expected to attend the hearing to debate key issues of the prosecutorial reform.
In particular, the discussion is expected to focus on whether the newly established Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA) should be under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety or the Ministry of Justice, comparing and analyzing the pros and cons.
Previously, Minister of Justice Jeong Sun-ho expressed concerns that placing the SCIA under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety could excessively concentrate the powers of primary investigative agencies like the police and the National Investigation Headquarters within the same department, leading to potential side effects.
On the other hand, within the Democratic Party, there is more support for placing the SCIA under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, arguing that placing it under the Ministry of Justice could undermine the intent to separate investigation and prosecution, effectively creating a “road back to the prosecutor’s office.”
In light of these differing views, President Lee Jae-myung has instructed, “Engage in rational debate and discussion in front of the public to create measures and solutions for key issues regarding prosecutorial reform.”
Aside from the public hearing on the 4th, the Legislative and Judiciary Committee plans to hold an additional legislative hearing on the 5th to continue discussing the justification and necessity of prosecutorial reform.
(Photo = Yonhap News)