President Lee mentions the need to address the overconcentration of police power

President Lee Jaemyung said that, on the occasion of the approval of the amended Criminal Procedure Act promulgation bill abolishing prosecutors’ direct investigative authority and supplementary investigative authority, complementary measures are needed to prevent the concentration of police power. At a Cabinet meeting on the 4th, the government approved the amended Criminal Procedure Act promulgation bill, which passed the National Assembly on the 31st of last month, in its original form. The law eliminates prosecutors’ direct investigative authority and includes provisions separating investigation and prosecution, while also deleting the legal basis for prosecutors’ supplementary investigative authority. However, prosecutors may request supplementary investigations from judicial police officers, and the police must complete them within two months. President Lee said that while a change in the criminal justice system has begun, followup measures such as revising laws and systems are necessary so that investigative authority does not become concentrated on one side. He emphasized that fairness and capability in investigations must be improved to prevent harm to the public, and also left open the possibility of further discussion over prosecutors’ supplementary investigative authority.