Police to have greater investigative powers as government seeks to reform prosecution
- 6 years ago
The South Korean government is seeking to make changes to the investigative power system between the prosecution and police.
It's part of the government's goal to reform the prosecution that has long been seen as corruption ridden.... taking advantage of its massive authority for their own interests.
For the details,... we connect to our Kim Min-ji standing by at the Seoul Government Complex.
Min-ji, what do the proposed changes entail?
Ji-yoon
Well, the reform measures are aimed at achieving a balance between the prosecution and police -- by diluting the concentration of investigative powers in the prosecution.
For starters,... the proposal calls for the prosecution and police to be in a reciprocal relationship -- that is they work hand-in-hand focusing on the expertise of their respective bodies.
The biggest change no doubt... is the fact that police will be given more autonomy and more responsibility in initial investigations.
They will have the right to investigate,... as well as the authority to close a case.
Something to note here is that, this means the police will be able to determine whether to pursue indictment or not.
Under the current system,... police can open a case,... but cannot close it without approval from the prosecution.... while all criminal investigations by police are required to be under the prosecutors' demand.
Meanwhile, prosecutors will retain their authority to indict,... but they will be required to focus on their primary role of prosecuting cases.
They will now be required to play a more supplementary role in overseeing probes.
But if necessary, they will be allowed to request further investigation into cases they deem necessary,... so if the police in any case are found to have misused their power.
Should a case involve a prosecutor or officials from the prosecution, or the other way around,... the prosecution will be required to request an arrest warrant in all cases.
This is to ensure a balance between the two organs.
"The proposal will see the prosecution and police break away from the vertical system... so they can cooperate and each take responsibility for people's safety and protecting human rights. This will enable each body to keep either in check and step up the efficiency of investigations."
This is all part of the Moon Jae-in administration's goal to reform so-called organs of power,... namely, the prosecutor's office, police and the country's intelligence agency.
In fact, calls to overhaul the prosecution have been mounting... as the country has gone through a long period of irregularities that have infuriated the public.
Given its excessive powers they've been known to taking advantage of the situation for their own personal or financial benefit,... in high-profile cases of powerful people, including politicians and business tycoons.
Now the government has noted that the proposal will not be fully satisfactory to the prosecution or the police,... saying they must put in effor
It's part of the government's goal to reform the prosecution that has long been seen as corruption ridden.... taking advantage of its massive authority for their own interests.
For the details,... we connect to our Kim Min-ji standing by at the Seoul Government Complex.
Min-ji, what do the proposed changes entail?
Ji-yoon
Well, the reform measures are aimed at achieving a balance between the prosecution and police -- by diluting the concentration of investigative powers in the prosecution.
For starters,... the proposal calls for the prosecution and police to be in a reciprocal relationship -- that is they work hand-in-hand focusing on the expertise of their respective bodies.
The biggest change no doubt... is the fact that police will be given more autonomy and more responsibility in initial investigations.
They will have the right to investigate,... as well as the authority to close a case.
Something to note here is that, this means the police will be able to determine whether to pursue indictment or not.
Under the current system,... police can open a case,... but cannot close it without approval from the prosecution.... while all criminal investigations by police are required to be under the prosecutors' demand.
Meanwhile, prosecutors will retain their authority to indict,... but they will be required to focus on their primary role of prosecuting cases.
They will now be required to play a more supplementary role in overseeing probes.
But if necessary, they will be allowed to request further investigation into cases they deem necessary,... so if the police in any case are found to have misused their power.
Should a case involve a prosecutor or officials from the prosecution, or the other way around,... the prosecution will be required to request an arrest warrant in all cases.
This is to ensure a balance between the two organs.
"The proposal will see the prosecution and police break away from the vertical system... so they can cooperate and each take responsibility for people's safety and protecting human rights. This will enable each body to keep either in check and step up the efficiency of investigations."
This is all part of the Moon Jae-in administration's goal to reform so-called organs of power,... namely, the prosecutor's office, police and the country's intelligence agency.
In fact, calls to overhaul the prosecution have been mounting... as the country has gone through a long period of irregularities that have infuriated the public.
Given its excessive powers they've been known to taking advantage of the situation for their own personal or financial benefit,... in high-profile cases of powerful people, including politicians and business tycoons.
Now the government has noted that the proposal will not be fully satisfactory to the prosecution or the police,... saying they must put in effor