South Korean Ministry of Justice revises Prosecution Service structure

The South Korean Ministry of Justice is revising the organizational structure for the upcoming Prosecution Service following directives from President Lee Jae-myung. One major change involves renaming the proposed ‘Judicial Control Department’ to the ‘Non-transfer Case Review Department’ to avoid perceptions that the agency is attempting to bypass restrictions on investigative powers.

Regarding personnel, the Ministry is considering a significant reduction in investigative support staff, potentially cutting the number of investigators and administrative staff from 4,284 to 2,133. However, the decision to adjust the official number of prosecutors will be deferred until after the Prosecution Service is established, pending a thorough analysis of workload and staffing needs.

Legal experts and prosecutors have expressed concerns regarding these changes. While the Ministry aims to streamline operations, some warn that reducing personnel could lead to a backlog of unresolved cases, especially as the transition to a new system may initially increase the administrative burden related to case management and trial support.