President Lee Shares Past Remarks by Cho Kuk and Yoo Simin, Declares "Prosecutorial Reform Now Complete"

Aimed at Hardliners in the Ruling Party Opposing Prosecutorial Reform

"Most Advocates of Prosecutorial Reform Insisted on Supplementary Investigation Authority"

On the 5th, President Lee Jae-myung declared, "The separation of investigation and prosecution—at the heart of prosecutorial reform—has now been completed to the extent that even supplementary investigations are prohibited."

On this day, President Lee shared a video on X (formerly Twitter) containing remarks by author Yoo Si-min, Cho Kuk, head of the Innovation Policy Institute for the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, and Kim Yong-min, a National Assembly member from the Democratic Party of Korea, and commented as above. Referring to them, President Lee pointed out, "Most proponents of prosecutorial reform, including the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, have proposed establishing the Investigation Office (Jungsucheong) in charge of investigations and the Prosecution Office (Gongsocheong) in charge of indictments within the Ministry of Justice. There were also calls that the Prosecution Office should be granted the authority for supplementary investigations."

President Lee Jae-myung is giving an opening remark at the Civil Petition Innovation Case Reporting Meeting held in Sejong Special Autonomous City on the 2nd. October 2, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

He continued, "However, this administration has taken things one step further by not only separating investigation and indictment between the Investigation Office and the Prosecution Office, but also assigning them under separate ministries: the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety." He explained, "In this process, the demand to strip the Prosecution Office of the right to conduct supplementary investigations—which led some of these individuals to change their stance—has also been realized." He further stated, "While there are public concerns about misuse of investigative powers by the police and the Investigation Office, or about case concealment and distortion, the government will fully dispel these worries through robust internal controls, thorough investigations and inspections within both the police and Investigation Office, and strict supervision of non-prosecution cases and appeals."

The shared video includes author Yoo, who said on a YouTube channel last month, "Splitting the prosecution into those who investigate and those who prosecute, that's the separation of investigation and indictment, and that is the utmost that can be achieved," adding, "I have never heard of such a claim before." However, at the end of the video, there is a scene in which, on April 15 of last year, President Lee appeared on 'Alileo,' a show hosted by Yoo, and stated, "There must be a separation of investigation and indictment."

This is interpreted as a rebuttal to some ruling party members who claim that the separation of investigation and prosecution promoted by the current administration cannot be seen as the completion of prosecutorial reform, or who argue that it breaks with President Lee's campaign promises.

A post on X (formerly Twitter) written by President Lee Jae-myung on the 5th

The video also featured remarks by Director Cho Kuk and Assemblyman Kim Yong-min. Director Cho stated at the "Prosecutorial Reform Legislation Strategy Forum" on May 8, 2024, "Separating prosecution's investigation and indictment functions is the starting point and core of normalizing the prosecution." Assemblyman Kim also said at the same event, "The goal and ultimate destination of prosecutorial reform is the separation of investigation and indictment."

Earlier on X, President Lee criticized the hardliners in the ruling party, saying, "Prosecutorial reform is for the people, not for establishing certain individuals' political legacy," and, "No one should seek to control personnel appointments or specific prosecutorial or indictment work for personal motives under the guise of reform."

President Lee went on to say, "Prosecutorial reform is not about taking revenge on the prosecution or destroying its functions, but about separating investigation and indictment to ensure that neither function is abused by those in power and that both function optimally." He explained, "The government has not dragged its feet; in accordance with agreement between the ruling and opposition parties, we have separated investigation and prosecution faster and more thoroughly than any previous government, even achieving a separation of affiliation that goes beyond what many had initially envisioned."

Additionally, President Lee emphasized, "The Serious Crimes Investigation Office will thoroughly and impartially investigate public officials' corruption—which undermines our society—as well as economic crimes such as stock manipulation and collusion that bring tears to ordinary citizens and disrupt economic order, and all types of white-collar crime, regardless of which side of the aisle is involved." He added, "The Prosecution Office will serve as the representative of the public interest, fairly and transparently safeguarding the rights of the people and carrying out indictment and prosecution duties."

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