Follow-up Legislation for Prosecution Office and SCIA Rushed... Plenary Session Targeted for the 17th

Standing Committees Convene in Succession to Expedite Follow-up Legislation

Following the abolition of the Prosecutors' Office and the restructuring of the criminal justice system into the Public Prosecution Office and the Serious Crime Investigation Agency (SCIA), subsequent legislative procedures are being rushed.

On the 15th, the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee, Planning and Finance Committee, Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee, Public Administration and Security Committee, and Gender Equality and Family Committee each held plenary meetings to review relevant bills. Despite confirmation hearings being on the schedule, the Planning and Finance Committee and others included bill reviews as necessary follow-up legislation after the abolition of the Prosecutors' Office. The Public Prosecution Office and SCIA are set to launch on October 2.

On the 18th, when the subordinate legislation defining the operational standards and organizational structure of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency (SCIA), launching in October, passed the Cabinet meeting, the headquarters of SCIA and the Seoul branch were established in the Renesquare Building in Jung-gu, Seoul. Yonhap News

The related amendment bills include provisions for establishing the investigative authority with judicial police officers as a single entity in accordance with the establishment of the Public Prosecution Office Act and the SCIA Act, as well as amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act. These changes are intended to align the criminal justice system by designating prosecutors to handle indictment and maintenance of prosecution only, and updating terms such as 'Prosecutor General' to 'Chief of the SCIA,' among others.

Within the Public Administration and Security Committee, a bill by Assemblyman Lee Haesik of the Democratic Party is also under review. The bill seeks to strengthen victim protection, allowing prosecutors to request supplemental or renewed investigations from the SCIA or regional SCIA offices, in accordance with individual laws regarding seven major crimes: sexual violence, sexual crimes against children and juveniles, stalking, child abuse, disability-related abuse, elder abuse, and domestic violence.

Previously, the Legislation and Judiciary Committee convened a subcommittee to discuss 24 follow-up bills related to prosecutorial reform.

Assemblyman Kim Uikyum, a Democratic Party whip in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, said, "We initially tried to deal with all the follow-up legislation by including them in the supplementary provisions of the Criminal Procedure Act and the Public Prosecution Office Act, but since some changes go beyond mere name amendments, the People Power Party suggested that those should go through separate laws instead of supplementary provisions." He added, "Around 20 bills will be handled in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and another 20 in other standing committees." Kim said, "Accordingly, we plan for eight standing committees to complete procedures by the afternoon of the 16th so that the bills can be passed on to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, which will process them in a subcommittee by the morning of the 16th, and then hold a full committee meeting in the afternoon to finalize all bills together."

Regarding this, Kim Seonghwe, the Democratic Party's floor spokesperson, stated on the same day, "A plenary session of the National Assembly is scheduled for the 17th," and added, "We are cooperating closely with the People Power Party."

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