The number of cases of corruption investigations including the police transfers from 2,528 cases in 2018 → 1,519 cases in 2021
Supreme Prosecutor “If the inspection is complete, only crime remains and the investigation evaporates… Investigation of chaebol and power also stops”
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Ryu Young-seok = Prosecutors’ flag is flying at the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 13th, when Prosecutor General Oh-su Kim announced that he would block the ‘completely deprived of the prosecution’s investigation authority’ legislation. 2022.4.13 ondol@yna.co.kr
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Jeong Seong-jo = After the prosecution’s direct investigation department and the scope of initiation of investigations were reduced, it was found that the total number of corruption crime investigations has been declining year by year.
On the 14th, the Anti-Corruption and Forces Department of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office said, “If the investigation authority is lost, the representative areas of the prosecution’s investigation are public office, finance and securities, large-scale tax evasion, corruption in the family of chaebol heads, ‘gap-jil’ once morest small and medium-sized enterprises by large corporations, and establishment of a fair economic order and eradication of corruption. A major obstacle will arise in the national response to
The ‘prosecution reform’ carried out under the Moon Jae-in administration aimed to reduce the scope of the prosecution’s direct investigation.
In 2019, the Special Department of the Prosecutor’s Office was changed to or abolished as the Anti-Corruption Investigation Department, and in 2020, the Anti-Corruption Investigation Department of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office was reduced from four to two. In August of that year, 14 direct and exclusive investigative departments of the National Prosecutor’s Office, including the Public Investigation Department, were converted into the Criminal Department, which handles cases sent to the police.
Last year, following the prosecutors and prosecutors adjusted their investigative powers, the scope within which the prosecution can directly initiate an investigation has been reduced to the ‘six major crimes’ (corruption, economy, public officials, elections, defense business crimes, and major catastrophes). ‘Inspection and completion’ is a measure that eliminates these six major crime investigations and the complementary investigation function of cases sent to the police.
According to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, the number of prosecution investigations on corruption crimes, such as bribery and breach of trust, and violations of the Attorney Act and Political Funds Act, was 553 in 2018, but continued to decrease to 409 in 2019, 264 in 2020, and 208 in 2021. Even including cases sent by the police, which broadened the scope of the investigation, this number fell by 40% from 2,528 in 2018 to 1,519 last year.
The Supreme Prosecutor’s Office said, “It cannot be concluded that a decrease in the total amount of investigation is a decrease in crime, but rather it is reasonable to view that the national crime response capacity has been weakened.” Discarding accumulated experiences and capabilities is equivalent to giving up the protection of the people’s basic rights.”
He continued, “If the prosecution’s investigative authority is completely abolished, the investigation of the six major crimes will ‘evaporate’, but the crime will only have the result that remains. It will inevitably lead to exposing the people and the people to crime as they are,” he said.
Rep. Hwang Un-ha, a former police officer, recently wrote a letter to fellow Democratic lawmakers, saying, “If the prosecution’s investigation authority is abolished, the authority to investigate the six major crimes will simply evaporate, not go to the police.” At that time, Rep. Hwang said, “Let’s deal with the bill first, and come up with supplementary measures following May 10 (when Yoon Seok-yeol takes office),” said Hwang, regarding what the prosecution would do with the original case.
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lim Hwa-young = The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office and the Prosecutor’s Office of the Ministry of Justice expressed their opposition to the ‘completely deprived of the prosecution’s investigative power’, which is being promoted by the Democratic Party of Korea.
The Supreme Prosecutor’s Office is scheduled to hold a national prosecutor’s meeting at 10 a.m. on the 11th to discuss related issues.
The photo was taken on the morning of the 10th at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul. 2022.4.10 hwayoung7@yna.co.kr
The Supreme Prosecutor’s Office said, “In economic crimes such as large-scale embezzlement and breach of trust for the pursuit of private interests of the head of a large corporation, high-level legal claims are raised regarding the legality of the investigation procedure and the ability of evidence through the ‘luxury lawyer’. He said that the prosecutor should also conduct an investigation, review the material evidence, and listen to the statements.
In the case of financial and securities crimes such as market price manipulation and the use of insider information, the prosecution said it was called ‘Yeouido Grim Reaper’ and had established a cooperative system with the Korea Exchange, the Financial Services Commission, and the Financial Supervisory Service. The Joint Securities Crimes Investigation Team of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office, established in 2013 and abolished in 2019, caught 964 capital market disruptors and handed them over to trial.
Important fair trade crimes, such as collusion by large corporations, are areas where the prosecution has directly investigated 80 to 100 cases a year until last year.
The Supreme Prosecutor’s Office cited the case of unfair support for affiliates of Kumho Asiana Group, embezzlement and breach of trust, which was investigated by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office last year. This is a case in which former chairman Park Sam-koo was arrested and indicted following the prosecution discovered the embezzlement of hundreds of billions of won through legal and accounting reviews while investigating the case of unfair support reported by the Fair Trade Commission.
Regarding the technology leak crime field, he said, “It is difficult to prove charges due to the need for high technical expertise in the investigation and trial process. (1% of general cases), which is very high, so an intensive and prompt direct investigation by the prosecution is absolutely necessary.”
Regarding drug crimes, the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office also said, “International cooperation investigation is necessary in order to find a plan for overseas shipments, but the prosecution has built an international cooperation system over the past 30 years.” I am concerned that it may not be able to fill the gap,” he said.
xing@yna.co.kr
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