South Korea presses prosecutorial reform amid ruling party rift over new investigative bodies
South Korea’s president, Lee Jae-myung, moved to quell a rift within the ruling party over prosecutorial reform and signaled a rapid push to finish the legislation. In remarks on the 16th, he appeared to rebuke hardline factions within the Democratic Party and argued that concerns about overreach should not derail a reform he described as essential to tackling major crime and corruption.
On social media, the president reiterated that the core decisions to separate investigative work from prosecution, and to exclude prosecutors from some investigations, are already settled national tasks and cannot be reversed. He said choosing between renaming the head of the new investigative body or purging and selectively reappointing prosecutors does not directly affect the principle of separation.
He also urged party critics not to manufacture opposition by weaponizing arguments about personnel changes, noting that the constitution designates the top official in prosecutorial matters as the Prosecutor General. He argued there is no clear justification for taking on the large political risk of wholesale dismissals or mass reappointments to pursue the reform.
The president emphasized that the reforms proposed by the government have already been processed through the party: the government’s plan was revised through intergovernmental talks, and the resulting draft was adopted as the party’s position rather than as a mere government proposal. He suggested further contentious issues, such as whether to permit additional investigations, would be discussed later in the broader Criminal Procedure Act revisions.
Meanwhile, the debate over the two new bodies at the center of the reform—the central investigative agency (the so-called middle investigation corps) and the public prosecution service—remains unresolved. After a government-led reform law to dismantle the current prosecutorial system, the government proposed in January to split investigation and prosecution. Within the ruling party, disagreements over investigative scope and the hierarchy of personnel prompted revisions, with the party only backing the government’s modifications last month.
Hardline lawmakers, including Kim Yong-min, have criticized several aspects of the plan, arguing that the authorities and powers of prosecutors could be altered by executive decree and that the prosecutors’ leadership and duties under the new system raise concerns. They reportedly submitted a revised set of objections to the party over the weekend, signaling ongoing internal strife.
Officials say the party intends to brief members and move toward a plenary vote with a target to complete the decisive bills by the 19th. A senior ruling-party official described the atmosphere around the Blue House as heated, suggesting only narrow, technical adjustments are likely before the bills are advanced. The internal debate underscores the broader challenge of reforming Korea’s prosecutorial system, a development with potential implications for foreign investment, corporate compliance, and cross-border legal cooperation, including with the United States.