President Lee Jae-myung Orders Revisions to Prosecution Service Organization Proposal, Citing Issues with Prosecutor Quotas and Judicial Control Department

President Lee Jae-myung has criticized the recently prepared enactment draft for the "Prosecution Service and Affiliated Organizations Organization" and the "Enforcement Decree of the Prosecutors' Quota Act" by the Ministry of Justice as insufficient, ordering revisions and supplements.

President Lee's perception of the issue is reportedly that the government failed to respond meticulously to problems surrounding prosecutor quotas and the decision on the name of the "Judicial Control Department," thereby causing unnecessary controversy regarding prosecution reform, a major national task.

Upon returning to the country after finishing his state visit to France, President Lee headed straight to the Blue House to receive a detailed report on the government's proposal.

At the meeting, President Lee pointed out that the government should have carefully examined prosecutor quotas, organizational structures, and titles, but failed to do so, according to Blue House officials.

In the case of the quota issue, according to the government proposal, the total quota for the Prosecution Service consists of 8,412 personnel, including 2,292 prosecutors and 6,120 general staff.

Although this is a reduction of about 20% compared to the current quota, the number of prosecutors remains unchanged, which has sparked backlash within the pro-ruling party coalition over why the prosecutor quota must be maintained.

Regarding this, President Lee also reportedly expressed the need for supplementation, stating, "There is no need to be bound by the existing Prosecutors' Quota Act; shouldn't we just use the actual number of personnel needed?"

In addition, President Lee noted that naming the department that reviews police non-transfer cases the "Judicial Control Department" was also inappropriate.

President Lee's assessment is that not only does it fail to align with the purpose of reviewing non-transfer cases, but there was also no need to court controversy by giving it a contentious name, which the government failed to properly oversee.

President Lee instructed the competent ministry to extend the legislative notice period to revise and supplement these matters, and the Ministry of Justice is expected to undergo a re-examination process soon.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.