Seoul:According to Yonhap News Agency, the proportion of arrest warrants filed by police and rejected by prosecutors has exceeded 30 percent for the first time this year. Data indicates that from January to August, police submitted 26,961 requests for arrest warrants, with prosecutors rejecting 9,186 of these requests, amounting to a 34.1 percent rejection rate.
This marks the first instance where the rejection rate for arrest warrant requests has surpassed the 30 percent threshold. The trend has been upward since 2021, when the rejection rate was 22.8 percent, increasing to 26.8 percent in 2025.
Police investigators have expressed concerns that prosecutors are becoming increasingly hesitant to pursue warrants they request. This reluctance coincides with a significant overhaul of the prosecution system, which led to prosecutors losing their investigative powers.
Recently, South Korea took a historic step by abolishing the prosecution office for the first time in 78 years. This move resulted in the establishment of two new agencies, which separate investigative and indictment powers, addressing long-standing criticism of the prosecution's excessive authority.
The data further reveals that the rejection rate for police requests for search and seizure warrants stood at 19.1 percent during the same period, a notable increase from the 10.7-13.7 percent range recorded between 2021 and 2025.