Police to Establish Exclusive Division for Prosecutors' Supplementary Investigation Requests Nationwide

Establishment of Investigation Cooperation Divisions at All Regional Police Agencies, Staffed by 144 Officers

Launch of Major Official Crime Investigation Unit to Probe Misconduct by Police Officers

The police have decided to establish a new department at all regional police agencies nationwide to exclusively manage cases in which prosecutors request supplementary investigations or reinvestigations, as part of efforts to respond to ongoing reforms in the criminal justice system centered on the abolition of prosecutorial investigative powers.

Seodaemun-gu Police Agency, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

The National Police Agency announced on the 16th that, as part of the personnel reshuffle scheduled for later this month, it would upgrade the Investigation Review Division at each regional police agency to the Investigation Review Department, which will be led by a superintendent general. Under this new department, an Investigation Cooperation Division will be newly established. The Investigation Cooperation Division will oversee cases involving prosecutors’ requests for supplementary investigations, reinvestigations, and corrective actions, managing them from receipt to notification of final results.

The Investigation Cooperation Division will designate personnel for each region or police station to manage and analyze, in real time, the status of cases requested by prosecutors. A total of 144 police officers, ranking superintendent or below, will be assigned to Investigation Cooperation Divisions at various regional agencies. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency will have the largest number of officers at 27, followed by Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Agency with 19, Busan with 12, and Incheon with 9.

A subsidiary organization dedicated to investigating police misconduct will also be established. The National Office of Investigation plans to set up the Major Official Crime Investigation Unit within this month to exclusively investigate crimes related to police officers’ official duties, such as bribery or breaches of official secrecy. The unit will be tasked with gathering intelligence on police misconduct by region nationwide and investigating any implicated officers.

Additionally, authorities are considering appointing investigation reviewers—term-based public officers with legal expertise—at police stations across the country. Their primary responsibility would be to closely review cases independently concluded within the police, such as those not referred for prosecution or unresolved cases under police management.

A National Office of Investigation official stated, "We will ensure that police investigations are carried out swiftly and thoroughly. Our aim is to eradicate internal police misconduct and to secure the fairness of investigations, thereby enhancing public trust in police investigations."

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