South Korean Lawmakers Vote to Strip Prosecutors of Investigation Authority

South Korea's parliament approved major judicial reforms Friday that will remove investigative duties from prosecutors and create separate agencies for prosecution and investigation. The changes aim to prevent political misuse of prosecutorial power, though critics worry it could weaken oversight.

South Korean lawmakers approved comprehensive judicial reforms Friday that will remove investigative authority from prosecutors, a change supporters say will reduce the potential for political manipulation of one of the nation’s most influential government institutions.

The new law establishes a dedicated agency focused solely on indictments and prosecutions while transferring investigative responsibilities to a different organization.

This historic decision formalizes the division of authority that President Lee Jae Myung and his liberal Democratic Party believe is essential to stop political misuse of unconstrained prosecutorial influence.

Liberal efforts to restructure the prosecution system intensified following accusations that former prosecutor chief Yoon Suk Yeol exploited the office to secure the presidency and target political adversaries.

When conservative leader Yoon declared martial law briefly in December 2024, many reform supporters viewed this as the ultimate justification for dismantling the system that elevated him to power.

Friday’s vote concludes a multi-decade political battle in South Korea to restructure the prosecution service. Demands for reform grew as prosecutors faced allegations of pursuing political opponents while shielding allies, with liberal politicians contending that such concentrated authority encouraged abuse and undermined democratic oversight.

Park Eun-jung, a former prosecutor and representative from the liberal Rebuilding Korea Party, explained that the reform aims to address “a shameful history of prosecutors changing the standard of the law to suit their political advantage.”

However, opponents, including conservative legislators who attempted to prevent the vote through filibuster tactics, argue the restructuring could diminish oversight of investigators and transform reform into a political weapon for the current administration.

Choi Jin-a, a law professor at Korea University, warned the legislation would eliminate safeguards ensuring the prosecution service’s political neutrality and independence, “making prosecutors and police even more beholden to political power.”

Reform advocates maintain that breaking the prosecution’s control is exactly their objective.

“In democracy, no function is controlled by one group, and power works for the people through dispersion and checks,” explained former Democratic Party representative Choe Kang-wook.