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 reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring the smooth launch of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the Prosecution Service Agency, both scheduled to be established next month, while also expressing strong determination for thorough police reform. Regarding the Prosecution Service Agency, they agreed to review changing the name of the 'Judicial Control Division.' In addition, with Chuseok approaching, they decided to stabilize holiday prices by expanding the supply of the largest volume of key holiday products in history and strengthening discount support.

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

Democratic Party spokesperson Yongwoo Lee announced these results to reporters following the Senior Party-Government Consultative Meeting held on the 13th at the Prime Minister’s Residence in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Spokesperson Lee stated, "Chairman Minseok Kim of the Democratic Party emphasized that police reform must proceed more strongly than prosecutorial reform, pointing out that the process so far has been lukewarm and passive."

According to spokesperson Lee, at the closed-door Senior Party-Government Consultative Meeting, Chairman Kim remarked, "I will not allow police reform to be carried out in a superficial manner. In this demanding social climate, if reform is only pursued due to external pressure, the police will be sidelined. Police investigations must be thorough to avoid criticism or reproach."

On this day, the party and government agreed to restructure the police’s management system for missing persons cases. Sparked by recent incidents such as the disappearance case in Jeju, they decided to increase the nighttime staff of police station missing persons teams to at least two and to establish dedicated missing persons investigation units at both the National Police Agency and at local police agencies. Legislation will also be pursued—provisionally called the “Missing Adults Act”—to allow the tracking of the locations of high-risk missing adults, such as those at high risk of suicide, without a warrant.

Preparations for the launch of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the Prosecution Service Agency, scheduled for next month, were reviewed as well. In particular, with regard to the Prosecution Service Agency, an active review will take place to change the name of the 'Judicial Control Division' to the 'Non-prosecution Case Review Division.' Abolishing offices such as the Criminal Planning Officer and the Serious Crimes Planning Officer, both included in the proposed organizational structure of the Prosecution Service Agency, will also be discussed. Previously, on the 10th, President Jaemyung Lee ordered the Ministry of Justice to revise and supplement the department name after debate arose over the naming of the Judicial Control Division, which is responsible for reviewing cases where prosecution is not pursued.

There were also discussions regarding the reduction of the allotted number of prosecutors. Spokesperson Lee explained, "Questions were raised about maintaining the current prosecutor quota now that investigative functions have been abolished," and added, "Since amending the Prosecutors Quota Act is necessary, a swift review is expected."

In addition, for Chuseok, the government will work to stabilize the cost of holiday groceries by expanding the supply of key items to the highest level ever and by providing enhanced discounts. Spokesperson Lee said, "We will allocate 193 billion won for discount support, more than double last year’s 90 billion won." He further added, "We will remove the limit on agricultural and livestock product discounts and extend the discount period until after the Chuseok holiday."

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