Signal Korea's ruling party advances bill stripping prosecutors of direct investigative power

Summary

South Korea's ruling Democratic Party led passage of a Criminal Procedure Act amendment bill through the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee on July 29, aimed at fully abolishing prosecutors' direct investigative authority, including supplementary investigation powers. Under the amendment, prosecutors would only retain the authority to request supplementary investigations from police, who would then be required to complete those investigations within one month of the request. The bill was tabled for a plenary vote on July 30, and the main opposition People Power Party launched a filibuster in an attempt to block its passage. The bill represents a significant restructuring of the investigative-authority balance between prosecutors and police in Korea's criminal justice system.