Seoul: The National Assembly on Saturday passed a prosecution reform bill led by the ruling Democratic Party (DP), setting the stage for a new serious crime investigation agency to launch in October. The bill was approved by a vote of 166-1 during a plenary session, following a 24-hour filibuster by the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), whose lawmakers boycotted the vote.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the new agency will operate under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and will be tasked with investigating major crimes such as corruption, economic offenses, defense industry-related crimes, drug offenses, insurrection, and cyber crimes. The bill's passage is part of a broader effort by the government to reform the prosecution system by separating the powers of investigation and indictment.
The approval of this bill follows the DP's passage of another bill aimed at removing investigative authority from the prosecution and creating a new indictment agency. Both bills are scheduled to take effect in October, leading to the abolition of the current prosecution service structure.
Under the new system, the indictment agency will focus solely on handling indictments, while investigative responsibilities will shift to the newly formed serious crimes investigation agency.