The Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the Public Prosecution Service launched on Oct. 2, completing the overhaul. But after President Lee Jae-myung's social media post, the presidential office and hardliners in the ruling bloc are at odds over past positions on supplementary investigation powers.
The overhaul that separates the prosecution's investigative and indictment functions was completed on Oct. 2 with the launch of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the Public Prosecution Service. Yet just as the new system is settling in, the ruling camp is arguing over who stayed truer to reform.
광고 문의 · 300×250The trigger was a post President Lee Jae-myung made on social media on Oct. 5. He said hardliners on prosecutorial reform, including the Rebuilding Korea Party, had changed their past positions, and reportedly noted that Cho Kuk had once argued for keeping supplementary investigation powers. Those powers let prosecutors investigate further on cases passed on by police, and they were the most sensitive issue throughout the reform debate.
Presidential office: do not cling to small differences; finish the reform together
The presidential office said the Rebuilding Korea Party had itself repeatedly changed positions on details, and urged it to join in completing a reform that is already irreversible rather than cling to small differences. The point is that the main thrust has been fixed by law and the task now is to help the system take root.
The party pushed back. It said that dwelling on past remarks about a matter already settled by law would only turn into an emotional fight, and called the dispute 'draining.' Its position is that it is unproductive to relitigate the fact that parties offered different proposals during the process.
Calls for restraint also came from within the ruling bloc. Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok warned that excessive claims could damage the reform front, reflecting concern that a fight over turf could erode trust in the new system.
The task: settling in, with staffing and organization
For the new system to work on the ground, observers say staffing and organizational preparation are urgent. With investigation and indictment now separate, the task is to define cooperation between agencies and the scope of responsibility in handling cases. Regional investigation offices say they will finish building their organizations and staffing quickly.
As the month-long parliamentary audit runs, how the new system is operating is likely to come under scrutiny as well. Whether the political fight over the direction of reform crowds out the practical discussion needed to settle the system is something to watch.
