On Oct. 2 South Korea implemented major prosecutorial reform: the 78-year-old
Prosecutor's Office was closed and two new bodies—the Public Prosecution Service
and the Major Crimes Investigation Office—were formally established. Under
revisions to the Criminal Procedure Act, the Public Prosecution Service Act and
the Major Crimes Investigation Office Act, the long-standing system in which
prosecutors held both investigative and prosecutorial powers has ended.
Public Prosecution Service will primarily handle indictments and prosecutions;
the Major Crimes Investigation Office will investigate seven categories of major
crimes. Most criminal investigations will be conducted by police, and
prosecutors will no longer have general investigative authority. The titles
prosecutor and prosecutor general are retained.
