Cases in which planned crimes were exposed through supplementary investigations by prosecutors continue to emerge

As controversy grows over the prosecution’s supplementary investigative powers, there have been a series of cases in which the true nature of the crimes was uncovered through supplementary investigations. The Hongseong Branch of the Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office revisited a case involving a man in his 50s that had initially been classified as an accidental killing, then analyzed call records and movements to confirm signs of longterm stalking and added the charges before indicting him. The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office also secured a mobile phone, messages, and a transcript in a forcible molestation case involving a private academy instructor, uncovered signs of evidence destruction, obtained an arrest warrant, and sent the case to trial. There were also cases in which incidents not referred by the police were reversed through prosecutorial investigation. The Yeoju Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office indicted an international marriage broker after confirming signs that he had tried to pocket fees by using a false complaint and the fact that he had been operating without registration, and the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office substantiated the charges by supplementing the victim interview in a fraud case involving a person with intellectual disabilities. In the legal community, concerns are being raised that if the prosecution’s supplementary investigative powers are reduced, inadequate investigations and delays in victim recovery could increase.