DP to push for plenary vote on prosecution reform bills this week

▲ Rep. Jung Chung-rae, leader of the ruling Democratic Party, announces the party's plan on prosecution reform bills during a press briefing held at the National Assembly in Seoul on March 17, 2026. (Yonhap)

DP-prosecution reform

DP to push for plenary vote on prosecution reform bills this week

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, March 17 (Yonhap) -- The leader of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) said Tuesday the party plans to put prosecution reform bills centered on separating investigative and indictment powers to a vote at the National Assembly plenary session this week.

Rep. Jung Chung-rae said the DP, which holds a majority in the National Assembly, will push to bring the key prosecution reform bills to the floor during a plenary session on Thursday.

The bills are follow-up measures to a government reorganization law that will abolish the existing prosecution service structure in October and outline the framework for launching new investigative and indictment agencies in the same month.

"The party, the government and Cheong Wa Dae reached a compromise through close consultations," Jung said during a press briefing. "Provisions that had raised strong public concerns were either removed or revised."

Jung said the bills aim to fully separate prosecutors' investigative and indictment powers, stripping prosecutors under the proposed indictment agency of their authority to direct police investigations or interfere in ongoing probes.

He said the implementation of the bills would significantly curb the prosecution's powers, which have included the broad authority to indict suspects, conduct investigations, direct police investigations and request arrest warrants, for nearly 80 years.

Jung's emphasis on compromise with the government and Cheong Wa Dae came after Lee Jae Myung repeatedly called for a cautious approach to the ongoing reform drive. Lee on Monday opposed hard-line calls to rename the prosecutor general as the "chief of the indictment agency" or to dismiss prosecutors and reappoint them following a screening process.

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