The newly established Prosecution Office will eliminate direct investigation departments and reorganize its structure to focus on indictments, prosecution maintenance, and reviewing investigation results.
On September 29, the government announced the presidential decree defining the organization and staffing of the Prosecution Office and its affiliated agencies. The total number of public officials, excluding prosecutors, will be 5890, with 403 at the headquarters and 5487 in regional and local offices.
The headquarters will include an administrative office, planning department, criminal division, public safety division, serious crime division, litigation division, and an inspection division. A spokesperson will report directly to the Prosecutor General, while a human rights policy officer and a forensic planning officer will be established under the deputy chief prosecutor.
The forensic planning officer will temporarily oversee appraisal and inspection functions until they are transferred to the Ministry of Justice, as stipulated in the supplementary provisions.
The frontline organization will shift away from a direct investigation focus. Existing investigative and direct investigation departments will be abolished, and new divisions, including the Serious Crime Indictment Division, will be created. A new Non-Indictment Review Division will be established in regional offices to review decisions made by judicial police regarding non-indictments, ensuring that the processes and judgments are lawful and appropriate.
There will be 18 regional prosecution offices, including those in Seoul Central, Incheon, Chuncheon, and Suwon, and 42 local prosecution offices. The new structure includes 46 divisions and one section across the Seoul Central District Prosecution Office, Seoul Eastern District Prosecution Office, and Seoul Southern District Prosecution Office.
The non-prosecutor staff at the headquarters will consist of one senior civil servant, two officials at levels 3 or 4, 395 below level 4, and five specialized career officials. Affiliated agencies will have 25 senior civil servants, 16 officials at levels 3 or 4, and 5446 below level 4.
The number of prosecutors is expected to start at around 1900, which is 80-85% of the current legal limit of 2292. This figure accounts for departures due to special appointments in the Serious Crime Investigation Office and typical vacancies, but the legal limit itself will not decrease with this new structure.
The Ministry of Justice plans to determine specific reduction targets after analyzing the work of external agencies and conducting an organizational diagnosis following the launch.
The abolition of the Prosecutor's Office will also lead to changes in terminology. References to 'Prosecutor's Office' in relevant laws will be changed to 'Prosecution Office,' and 'prosecutor officials' will become 'Prosecution Office officials.' The Ministry of Justice's Prosecutor's Bureau will be renamed the Criminal Justice Bureau, and the Prosecutor's Personnel Committee will be renamed the Prosecutor Personnel Committee.
As part of the follow-up measures to the enactment of the Prosecution Office Act and the Serious Crime Investigation Office Act, 126 related laws will be partially amended. The new Prosecution Office structure will take effect on October 2.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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