Controversy over Expanded Police Investigative Powers and Oversight Ahead of the Revised Criminal Procedure Act's Enforcement

With the revised Criminal Procedure Act taking effect on October 2, the prosecutor’s investigative authority will disappear and the police will become the center of criminal investigations. Under the principle of separating investigation and prosecution, the police’s powers will expand, but at the same time, how to control internal misconduct and investigative abuse has emerged as a key challenge. The police are presenting countermeasures such as checks by the Prosecution Office and the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, the establishment of an internal inspection organization, and strengthening the investigation review committee. However, experts point out that the current mechanisms are not enough and that an external oversight body that can independently investigate complaints and misconduct outside the National Police Agency is needed. In addition, expanding investigative personnel and training, as well as narrowing the gap in investigative capabilities by region, are also cited as tasks. The police are preparing organizational reforms and deploying some riot police personnel to investigative units, but experts believe that simply increasing the number of personnel alone cannot guarantee improvements in investigative quality.