Cheong Wa Dae Warns Against Group Action By Prosecutors

Cheong Wa Dae warned on May 6 that it would sternly deal with group action by prosecutors against the reform plan for criminal trial law proposed by the Presidential Committee on Judicial Reform (PCJR) according to the law and principle.

As prosecutors have expressed their displeasure, arguing that their group action to oppose the reform plan is not something that requires stern countermeasures, the friction between the presidential office and prosecutors is beginning to reappear. Presidential spokesman Kim Man-soo said on the same day that group action from rank-and-file prosecutors against the new judicial reform plan is a very disturbing matter and that any future attempts or group action will be dealt with according to the law.

Kim added that such a policy is not different from the president’s intention. “The Ministry of Justice itself will deal with the group action by the prosecutors,” he added.

In the meantime, the PCJR was initially supposed to settle the first draft of the new judicial reform plan on May 16, but the date has been postponed until after next month.

An official of the Presidential Committee on Judicial Reform (PCJR) said that the Ministry of Justice requested not to include a part regarding the criminal evidence law in a revised bill at a working level meeting of deputies scheduled for May 9. “The bill will be submitted, but it is hard to tell whether the criminal trial law will be dealt with, since there are a number of cases to handle,” according to the official.

Therefore, the PCJR’s general meeting scheduled for May 16 is likely to pass the three agendas regarding law schools, trials attended by citizens, and the expansion of ruling requests. Chances are that the revision bill on judicial reform will be delayed.

Jung-Hun Kim jin0619@donga.com jnghn@donga.com