Hong Seok-gi, chief of the National Office of Investigation, said he will form a task force to identify problems and prepare countermeasures related to the passage of the revised Criminal Procedure Act by the National Assembly.
At a regular press briefing held three days after the Criminal Procedure Act passed, Hong said, "We have created a task force centered on the investigation planning and coordination officer and the responsible staff, who are well aware of the intent of the revisions, and we intend to listen to various opinions." He added, "Once the Criminal Procedure Act is revised, we will review how to amend the rules and regulations, and how quickly each office responds when the prosecution requests supplementary investigation."
Hong said he respects the legislative decision made by the National Assembly, and that he will consult with relevant ministries and realign subordinate laws and guidelines so that the new system can take root in the field early. "If you look at Article 195 of the revised Criminal Procedure Act, it is clearly stated. Prosecutors and judicial police officers must cooperate with each other regarding investigation, indictment, and maintaining prosecution," Hong said. "Prosecutors are responsible for indictment and maintaining prosecution, while judicial police officers are responsible for investigation, thus separating investigation and prosecution, and the responsibility for where each agency should hold its inherent role is also made clear."
He rebutted concerns from some quarters that the public would suffer harm. "During the initial three months of investigation, we will proceed with a little more responsibility than now. This time, several mechanisms are included to secure the effectiveness of supplementary investigation requests, and the police are required to request professional judgment and advice from prosecutors on cases," Hong said. "It appears that the content requiring supplementary investigation will be significantly reduced compared to now." He added, "Even if there is a (supplementary investigation) request, the revised Criminal Procedure Act this time requires all additional investigation content and related materials to be sent to the prosecutor. I believe this will be a situation where investigations are properly conducted without the public suffering harm, by swiftly enhancing the completeness of investigations within the time frame."
Regarding concerns that indiscriminate supplementary investigation requests would increase, he said, "If prosecutorial authority is concentrated on indictment and maintaining prosecution, unnecessary parts will disappear." He added, "We will consult sufficiently with prosecutors before transferring cases and then transfer them. From the prosecutor's standpoint as well, they will not be a competing agency holding some investigative authority, but as the party responsible for indictment and maintaining prosecution, they will lead the four investigative agencies well and hold responsibility in court."
Regarding a system that allows prosecutors to designate other investigative agencies, such as a higher investigative office or the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, when it is deemed difficult to expect appropriate investigation by the police, he said, "Among the various systems to secure the effectiveness of the supplementary investigation request authority, it is the most powerful control measure, and I think it is also necessary for the police." He stressed, "As for the criticism that the police became a 'dinosaur police' due to swollen investigative authority as a result of the Criminal Procedure Act revision, I think that has been resolved."
Regarding the criticism that investigation departments would be short-staffed, he answered, "Through internal reorganization, we secured about 1,900 personnel and sent them to investigation teams, and we are securing more as much as possible." He added, "We are discussing how many police officers per 100,000 population would be appropriate, and regarding the supplementary investigation request authority, we are placing experts to review it in depth and are also considering measures to make things less inconvenient for the (working-level) staff in charge."
