The South Korean government has proposed making changes to how investigative powers are allocated between prosecutors and the police.
It's part of the Moon Jae-in administration's goal of reforming a prosecution long seen as corrupt... and as taking advantage of its authority for its own interests.
Kim Min-ji reports.
The South Korean government is looking to achieve a balance between the prosecution and police -- by diluting the concentration of investigative powers in the prosecution.
Its proposed measures unveiled Thursday are aimed at having the prosecution and police work hand-in-hand, focusing on the expertise of their respective bodies.
The biggest change is that the police will be given more autonomy and more responsibility during the initial investigation.
They will have the right to investigate,... as well as the authority to close a case -- independent of the prosecution.
This means that the police will be able to determine whether or not to pursue an indictment.
Under the current system,... the police can open a case,... but cannot close it without approval from the prosecution.... while investigations by the police are required to be overseen by a prosecutor.
But to prevent the National Police Agency from becoming too powerful... the government plans to introduce autonomous police systems under the control of local governments starting next year.
Meanwhile, prosecutors will be able to retain their sole authority to indict and apply for arrest warrants,... despite their investigative powers being reduced.
But they will be allowed to request re-investigation into cases that they deem necessary,... or in any circumstances where the police are found to have misused their increased power.
"The proposal will see the prosecution and police break away from the vertical system... so they can cooperate and each take responsibility for people's safety and protecting human rights. This will enable each body to keep either in check and step up the efficiency of investigations."
The proposal is part of the Moon Jae-in administration's goal to reform the so-called organs of power,... namely, the prosecutor's office, the police and the country's intelligence agency.
Calls to overhaul the prosecution have been mounting... as the country has gone through a long period of irregularities that have infuriated the public.
Prosecutors have been known to take advantage of their excessive power in high-profile cases of powerful people, such as politicians and business tycoons... for their own personal or financial benefit.
The government has noted that the proposal will not be fully satisfactory to the prosecution or the police,... saying they must put in the effort to work around the changes so that they don't spark internal feuds within their organizations.
"The proposal has now been passed to parliament,... where lawmakers will deliberate over the details and draw up a bill. But that's not expected to be easy,... especially
