Amid Political Neutrality Controversies, the 78-Year History of Prosecution Enters Its Final Chapter

[Anchor]

With just two days remaining, the 78-year history of the prosecution service is coming to an end. The prosecution emblems have been removed from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, and its signboard is being replaced to reflect its transition into the Public Prosecutors' Office. Once enjoying public support for leading investigations into high-profile corruption, the prosecution service is fading into history amid ongoing controversies over its political neutrality.

Reporter Kim Deok-hyeon looks back at the eventful history of the prosecution service.

[Reporter]

The prosecution service was launched in 1948 alongside the establishment of the government.

Although it held a monopoly on indictment authority, it struggled under the shadow of intelligence agencies and the police following the emergence of military dictatorships.

The prosecution began to truly assert its presence in 1987 during the torture death case of Park Jong-chul, when it exposed the police lie that he "died of a sudden heart attack after being lightly tapped."

Following democratization, it set out to eradicate major evils involving former presidents, high-ranking officials, and conglomerates.

[Lee Jong-chan / Then Head of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Special Investigation Headquarters (February 1996): Former Presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo have been detained and indicted on charges including the December 12 and May 18 incidents and bribery...]

It once gained public support by leading investigations into power-related corruption, such as the 2003 presidential election fund probe.

However, as controversies over political neutrality, such as ordered investigations, persisted, prosecution reform emerged as a central task of the era.

[Kim Young-jong / Then Prosecutor at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office (March 2003): Why did you make that call to the prosecution back then?]

[Roh Moo-hyun / Former President (March 2003): Are you trying to pick a fight at this point?]

Furthermore, demands for prosecution reform intensified after former President Roh Moo-hyun, who had driven discussions on prosecution reform in earnest, passed away while undergoing a prosecution investigation. Consequently, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's Central Investigation Department, designated as a symbol of targeted and orchestrated investigations, was ultimately abolished.

During the Moon Jae-in administration, Minister of Justice Cho Kuk took office amidst comprehensive prosecution investigations into his family's irregularities and declared strong prosecution reform.

[Cho Kuk / Then Minister of Justice (September 2019): I believe this signifies the need to complete the long-standing, unfinished task of reforming the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution.]

This led to the first phase of prosecution reforms, represented by the reduction of prosecutors' direct investigation scope and the adjustment of investigative powers between the prosecution and the police.

However, upon becoming president, former Prosecutor General Yoon Suk Yeol neutralized the reduction of investigative powers through enforcement decree revisions, restoring investigative authority to the prosecution.

Subsequently, controversies regarding preferential treatment and lenient handling surrounding his wife, Kim Keon-hee, reignited demands for prosecution reform.

Following the insurrection orchestrated by former President Yoon, the prosecution became the primary target for reform and is now changing its signboard to the Public Prosecutors' Office, stripped even of its supplementary investigation rights.

[Cho Jung-sik / Speaker of the National Assembly (July 31): I declare that the alternative bill for the partial amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act has been passed.]

While the prosecution has been evaluated for taking the lead in eradicating major evils as a core institution of South Korea's judicial system over 78 years, it is ultimately disappearing into history amid controversies surrounding political prosecutors.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
(Reported by Kim Deok-hyeon | Video by Kim Seung-tae, Lee Chan-soo, Kang Si-oh, and Hangyul | Video by Seeun | Graphics by Choi Jae-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.