Cho Kuk Innovation Party Opposes Public Prosecutors' Office Reorganization Plan

On September 4, the government announced the Public Prosecutors' Office organization plan and an amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Public Prosecutor Numbers Act. The Cho Kuk Innovation Party raised strong criticisms during the legislative notice period, which runs until September 9.

The Cho Kuk Innovation Party's spokesperson stated that they were not just disappointed but appalled by the contents of the government's organization plan and the Enforcement Decree of the Public Prosecutor Numbers Act, arguing that an appropriate reduction in numbers and organizational restructuring are necessary following the abolition of investigative powers.

Regarding the Cho Kuk Innovation Party's demand for a reduction in the Public Prosecutors' Office's numbers, the New Tam Sa panelists refuted it as a simplistic claim. The main reason is the change in work method: while prosecutors previously conducted supplementary investigations directly, they must now judge cases based only on records, as their investigative powers have been abolished.

Due to this change, the role of the Public Prosecutors' Office has become even more critical in overseeing and monitoring police investigations, and protecting human rights. The task of reviewing vast investigation records submitted by the police and identifying faulty investigations is more demanding and requires greater expertise than before.

Therefore, arguing for a reduction in investigative personnel overlooks the new characteristics and importance of the Public Prosecutors' Office's work, and maintaining essential personnel is necessary to prevent faulty investigations.

New Tam Sa panelists pointed out that the Cho Kuk Innovation Party's argument for reducing the Public Prosecutors' Office's organization simply because of a decrease in the number of investigations overlooks the unique characteristics of the work. They emphasized that the Public Prosecutors' Office's personnel should focus on new tasks of judging the appropriateness of police investigations and effectively overseeing them, instead of past investigative duties.

Furthermore, they criticized the confirmation bias in the operation of some media outlets that unilaterally present the claims of a specific party, repeating them like parrots. They stressed that not only the position of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party but also opposing viewpoints should be presented in a balanced manner to allow readers to understand the issue from various perspectives.