Party and Government: "Police Reform Must Be Stronger Than Prosecutorial Reform... No Half Measures"

Legislation for Warrantless Location Tracking of Missing Adults to Be Pursued
"Judicial Oversight Division" to Be Renamed as "Non-indictment Case Review Division"
193 Billion Won Allocated for Chuseok Holiday Product Discount Support

The Democratic Party of Korea and the government have reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring the smooth launch of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the Prosecution Office, both scheduled to be established next month. At the same time, they expressed a strong determination to push forward with substantive police reforms. Regarding the Prosecution Office, they decided to consider renaming the "Judicial Oversight Division" to a more suitable term. In addition, with the Chuseok holiday approaching, both sides agreed to make every effort to stabilize holiday prices by providing the largest-ever supply and discount support for popular holiday products.

Chief Presidential Secretary Hoonshik Kang is speaking at the Senior Party-Government Consultative Meeting held on the 13th at the Prime Minister's Seoul Residence in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Yongwoo Lee, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, announced these outcomes to reporters after the Senior Party-Government Council held at the Prime Minister's official residence in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 13th. Lee explained, "Representative Minseok Kim emphasized that police reform thus far has been criticized for being lukewarm and passive, and called for it to proceed even more forcefully than prosecutorial reform."

According to the spokesperson, during the closed-door council, Representative Kim said, "We will not allow police reform to be only partially realized in a compromising manner. With public expectations so high, if we simply follow pressure to implement reform, the police could find themselves sidelined. Police investigations must also be conducted thoroughly to avoid criticism or reproach."

On this day, the ruling party and government agreed to reform the police's management system for missing person cases. Following recent incidents such as the Jeju missing person case, they decided to increase the number of night shift personnel in missing persons teams at police stations to at least two, and to establish dedicated investigation teams for missing persons at the National Police Agency and at regional police agencies. They also decided to pursue legislation, tentatively named the Adult Missing Persons Act, to allow location tracking without a warrant for high-risk missing adults, such as those at risk of suicide.

The preparation status for the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the Prosecution Office, both scheduled for launch next month, was also reviewed. In particular, regarding the Prosecution Office, they decided to actively consider changing the name of the "Judicial Oversight Division" to "Non-indictment Case Review Division." They also discussed eliminating the positions of Director of Criminal Affairs and Director of Serious Crimes, which had been included in the organizational draft of the Prosecution Office. Previously, on the 10th, President Jaemyung Lee instructed the Ministry of Justice to revise and supplement the name of the Judicial Oversight Division, amid controversy over its role in reviewing non-indictment cases.

Discussions were also held regarding the reduction of the number of prosecutors. The spokesperson said, "There were concerns raised about maintaining the current number of prosecutors even though their investigative functions have been abolished," adding, "Since an amendment to the Prosecutors Quota Act is required, a prompt review is expected."

Additionally, to stabilize prices for Chuseok holiday essentials, it was decided to significantly expand the supply of popular goods and provide discount support at an unprecedented scale. The spokesperson said, "We will allocate 193 billion won—more than double last year's 90 billion won budget—for discount initiatives," adding, "We will remove the limit on discounts for agricultural and livestock products and extend the discount period even beyond the Chuseok holiday."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.