President Lee Jae-myung has instructed the Ministry of Justice to revise the organizational and personnel plan prepared ahead of the launch of the new prosecutorial agency. This decision comes as he believes that maintaining the current number of prosecutors and the designation of the department reviewing police non-prosecution cases as 'Judicial Control Division' does not align with the intent of prosecutorial reform.
According to reports from News1 and others on September 10, President Lee returned from a state visit to France and received a briefing at the Blue House on the draft of the 'Prosecutorial Agency and Affiliated Institutions Organization' and the amendment to the 'Prosecutor Staffing Act.' He subsequently ordered modifications and enhancements.
It is reported that President Lee pointed out the need for a more thorough design of the organization, personnel, and department names during the launch of the prosecutorial agency. This reflects a recognition that the government has inadvertently sparked unnecessary controversy over detailed organizational issues while pursuing its key national agenda of prosecutorial reform.
The first item on the review list is the number of prosecutors. According to the plan prepared by the Ministry of Justice, the total staffing for the prosecutorial agency is set at 8,412, including 2,292 prosecutors and 6,120 administrative staff. While the overall personnel count is expected to decrease by about 20% from the current level, the number of prosecutors is to remain unchanged.
In response, members of the ruling party have argued that since the direct investigative function of the prosecution will be eliminated, the number of prosecutors should also be reduced accordingly. Voices within the leadership of the Democratic Party have also called for scrutiny of whether the proposed structure of the prosecutorial agency aligns with the principles of prosecutorial reform.
President Lee is also reported to have expressed the view that rather than being bound by the existing number of prosecutors, the staffing should be recalibrated based on the actual duties the prosecutorial agency will perform.
Additionally, he has requested a reevaluation of the designation 'Judicial Control Division' for the department reviewing non-prosecution cases. This name does not accurately reflect the actual work involved and could exacerbate tensions regarding the relationship between investigative and prosecutorial agencies due to its implication of 'control' over the police.
The government is currently working on organizational adjustments ahead of the planned dissolution of the prosecution office and the launch of the prosecutorial agency next month. On September 4, the Ministry of Justice announced the draft of the organizational structure and staffing for the prosecutorial agency, along with the proposed amendment to the Prosecutor Staffing Act.
Following President Lee's directive, the Ministry of Justice is expected to reassess the scale of prosecutor staffing and department names.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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