Conflict Between Prosecution and Police Faces Head-on Collision

The confliction between the prosecution and the police over independent investigative powers of the police is getting severer, now it is facing a head-on collision.

Some of the prosecution insisted to “abolish the constabulary unit” and in the Internet bulletin board of the police, many voiced to “stand against desperately.” As the situation got worse, the Chong Wa Dae side expressed concerns.

▽ The Prosecution Insists to Abolish the Constabulary Unit = It was revealed in the 15th that the prosecution made a report in which they insist on the abolition of the constabulary unit and point out some executives graduated from Korea National Police University (KNPU) as the leading persons for independent investigative powers claim.

This report was made by a prosecutor and is on the internal telecommunication net of the prosecution. The report said, “the military authorities of Chun Du-whan established the KNPU after the Korea Military Academy to hold the power over the government system through the police. It is possibly unconstitutional to appoint to an executive only because he or she graduated a certain university.”

The Supreme Public Prosecutors Office did not explain how and why the report was made and said, “The report is a prosecutor`s personal opinion and it is not official opinion of the prosecution.”

▽ The Police Urges to Unite Together Through Internet = In the homepage of the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, netizens who seemed policemen are insisting on the united actions.

One netizen said, “This is a time for us to concentrate our power to solve the external problems. We should act strategically to get proper result, based on our experience of failure in the past.”

▽ Responses of High-Ranking Officials of the Prosecution and the Police = The high-ranking officials of police think that it is naturally and historically right to give independent investigative powers to the police.

A high-ranking official of the KNPA said, “Among the high-ranking officials of the KNPA, who is not willing to get independent investigative powers?”

On the other hand, the prosecution is allegedly struggling to prepare measures to make the insistence of the police powerless and, at the same time, it also feels that a logical response is necessary.

The prosecutors of the SPPO were exchanging information regarding the report to the PTC through phones on the 15th.

One executive of the SPPO said, "It is part of an essential judicial system for protecting human rights that police officers should be kept under the watchful eye and direction of prosecutors, just like the prosecution controlled by the court."

▽ Many Social Communities Worrying = The academic world and civic organizations are worrying about the head-on collision of the prosecution and the police over independent investigative powers and they said that the two institutions need to have a serious discussion.

Ha Seung-chang, an executive of Citizens` Action Network, criticized both institutions and said, “As the prosecution and the police which are charge of the social order are trying to criticize each other rather to discuss seriously for the peace of the country, citizens cannot trust both of the institutions.”

An executive secretary of Judiciaries Watch of the People`s Solidarity for Participant Democracy Chun Je-il said, “The two institutions are fighting each other and don`t even think about hearing the people`s thought. Closed conflict of their own is not desirable.”

Meanwhile, the presidential secretary Park Ji-won notified the Minister of Justice Sim Sang-myoung and the Minister of government Administration and Home Affairs Lee Keun-sik the position of Cheong Wa Dae that the conflict between the prosecution and the police over the independent investigative rights is not desirable.

According to Park Sun-suk presidential chief secretary of press, Mr. Park said “The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs should take charge of this problem and there should not be another signs of confliction between national institutions” during the meeting among the chief secretaries.

Then, Mr. Park reported the result of his management to President Kim.