South Korea's President Defends Prosecutorial Reform Amid Debate Over Investigative Power

President Lee Jae-myung delivered a commemorative address at the National 3.15 Democracy Cemetery in Changwon on the 66th anniversary of the March 15 Uprising, tying Korea’s ongoing judicial-reform debate to the memory of Korea’s pro-democracy movement. The remarks came as the government’s plan to establish the Central Criminal Investigation Service and the Prosecution Service remains at the center of political contention.

On the 16th, during a session at the National Assembly, Lee defended the current reform process. He said the revised plan “that the party and government worked on and adopted as the ruling party’s policy is not the government plan but a party-government consultative plan,” and urged that any further revisions not be driven by expediency or unrelated aims. He stressed that reform should produce real, tangible outcomes.

Lee has been active on social media, posting on X that “the ruling camp cannot do as it pleases” and calling reform “a surgical correction.” He urged that excessive emphasis on branding or measures detached from the reform’s core risks undermining the mission of the overhaul.

The president also pushed back against hardline proposals within the ruling bloc, notably the idea of abolishing the title of Prosecutor General and firing all prosecutors with selective reappointment. He argued these steps are not directly connected to the central aim of separating investigative power from prosecutorial power.

He cautioned that changing the constitutional framework—such as renaming the post to “Prosecutors Service Chief” or reclassifying prosecutors as “Prosecution Bureau”—would be difficult to justify, noting that the Constitution names the Prosecutor General as the head of the country’s prosecutorial office. He warned against moves that could be seen as overreach or as a pretext for backlash.

Regarding the core reform, Lee said the debate centers on the “complementary investigative powers” and that substantive discussion would be folded into future amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act. He called for thorough consideration of potential abuses before any detailed rules are set.

The leadership dynamic within the Democratic Party remains a factor. Party leader Jung Cheong-rae has said the party’s hardliners must be balanced with the agreement already reached with the party and government, while the party’s floor leadership aims to push the Prosecution Service and Central Investigative Service bills through the National Assembly’s plenary session, potentially as soon as the 19th.

For U.S. readers, the stakes extend beyond Korean politics. Korea’s reform of its prosecutorial system could affect how major international firms operate in Korea, influence anti-corruption and white-collar enforcement, and shape bilateral cooperation on security and rule-of-law initiatives. As Seoul recalibrates the balance between investigation and prosecution, outcomes could influence corporate governance, supply-chain risk, and foreign investment in one of Asia’s largest technology and manufacturing hubs.