Prosecutor’s Office Act and Criminal Act Amendment Resolution at the State Council
The legislative process expressed regret for breaking the agreement between the ruling and opposition parties
President Moon Jae-in, who attended the 20th Cabinet Meeting held at the Sejong Office of the Blue House on the 3rd, presides over the meeting and bangs the doctor’s baton. Blue House Photo Correspondents
The Promulgation of the Prosecution and Prosecution Rights Separation Bill, which passed the plenary session of the National Assembly amid opposition from the people, was decided at the Cabinet meeting on the 3rd. President Moon Jae-in said, “There have been evaluations that concerns about the political neutrality, fairness, and selective justice of the prosecution’s investigation have not been resolved, and that it is not sufficient to earn the public’s trust.”
President Moon Jae-in, presiding over the last cabinet meeting at the Blue House from 2:25 pm on the same day, said, “I think (this evaluation) is the reason why the National Assembly has moved one step further to the separation of investigation and prosecution.” At the cabinet meeting that day, the Prosecutor’s Office Act and Criminal Procedure Act promulgation of the revised Prosecutor’s Office Act and Criminal Procedure Act, which were promoted by the Democratic Party as a party argument and passed the plenary session of the National Assembly on the 30th of last month and the morning of the same day, respectively, were decided. The amendments include reducing the scope of the prosecution’s direct investigation by defining the crimes that the prosecution can initiate investigations into as corruption and economic crimes, and prohibiting separate investigations.
The cabinet meeting was originally scheduled to be held at 10 a.m. on the same day, but was postponed to the afternoon to wait for the revision of the Criminal Procedure Act at the National Assembly. In response, President Moon said, “This is to responsibly deliberate and resolve the prosecution reform-related bills, such as the Prosecutor’s Office Act and the Criminal Procedure Act amendments passed by the National Assembly and requested to be promulgated by the government, within the term of our government’s term of office.”
President Moon said, “In accordance with the vocation of the candlelight government, our government has consistently promoted reform of power institutions, and reformed the institutions of power, such as the establishment of a public transport agency, adjustment of the powers of prosecutors and police, the implementation of the autonomous police system, the establishment of the National Investigation Headquarters, and the reform of the National Intelligence Service. “This is to ensure the basic rights of the people while ensuring that institutions of power fulfill their original roles according to the principles of checks and balances and democratic control,” he said. “Despite these achievements, concerns about the political neutrality, fairness, and selective justice of the prosecution’s investigation have not been resolved, and there have been evaluations that it is insufficient to earn the public’s trust,” said President Moon. I think that’s the reason we went one step further.”
President Moon said, “In the legislative process, an agreement between the opposition parties was reached through mediation by the Speaker of the National Assembly, and then the agreement was broken. I urge the State Council members to leave the jurisdiction of the ministries to discuss and deliberate without any formality from the perspective of common sense and the public.” Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who belongs to the People’s Power, also attended the cabinet meeting that day.
