President Lee Jae-myung said on the 18th that he would "responsibly complete the historic task of irreversible prosecution reform," speaking at a special press conference.
"After long efforts, the task of prosecution reform — separating investigation from indictment through the exclusion of prosecutors from investigations and the split into a public prosecution office and a major crimes investigation agency — is nearing its final destination," Lee said. "Under no circumstances should the investigation and indictment functions fail to work properly and thereby hamper the protection of the human rights of victims and the public."
He added that he would "thoroughly review and supplement the system so that prosecution reform allows authorities to focus solely on properly protecting the human rights of the public and victims and on maintaining a fair and reasonable social order, leaving not a single grain of unjust harm and not even the smallest gap."
Lee also said problems that could arise from the absence of the prosecution's supplementary investigation authority would be resolved through thorough checks and safeguards on police investigations. "Through sweeping police reform, we will dispel public concerns that the police could regress into an all-powerful agency as a result of monopolizing investigative authority," he said.
