Lee’s push for prosecution reform

[Anchor]

President Lee Jae-myung has indicated that one of the areas for high-intensity reform is the prosecution.

With the resignations of Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae and Seoul Central District Prosecutor Lee Chang-soo being accepted, attention is focused on the direction and pace of the new government's prosecution reform.

Reporter Kim Young-hoon has the details.

[Report]

This is the candidate policy pledge book that President Lee Jae-myung presented during the election campaign.

One of the key pledges that stands out is the phrase 'completion of prosecution reform'.

The core elements include the separation of investigation and prosecution, judicial control over the abuse of prosecutorial power, and the introduction of a disciplinary dismissal system for prosecutors, among five key points.

President Lee has emphasized his commitment to implementation whenever the opportunity arises.

[Apr. 15 / YouTube channel 'Yoo Si-min's Alileo': "The core issue regarding prosecutorial investigative authority is that investigations should not be conducted solely for the purpose of prosecution. Investigation and prosecution must be separated. Investigative agencies should serve as checks on each other. They should not be concentrated in one place."]

However, there are signs of resistance within the prosecution.

If investigation and prosecution are separated, it would not align with judicial justice as prosecutors would be unable to prosecute even if other charges are detected, and if they are dismissed only through internal disciplinary measures like regular public officials, it could infringe on the independence of the prosecution.

However, given the significant impact of this issue, there are analyses suggesting that the new government may opt for a gradual approach through public discourse rather than immediate implementation.

[Kim Kyung-soo / KBS Advisory Lawyer: "(Prosecution reform has already) been extensively studied academically. The government should not just decide whether to proceed with this or not; it should involve experts in criminal policy or criminal law to go through public hearings and make decisions in that process."]

In these uncertain circumstances, with the acceptance of the resignations of Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae and Prosecutor Lee Chang-soo, predictions are emerging that there will be a wave of resignations among prosecutors.

This is KBS News, Kim Young-hoon.