<Anchor>



Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon has presented a reorganization plan that overturns the reduction in direct investigation by the prosecution implemented by the previous government.

The criminal department can also directly investigate if there is any important criminal clue, and the front-line prosecutor's office will be able to operate a special investigation team without the approval of the minister.



Reporter Ahn Hee-jae reports.



<Reporter>



In January 2020, then Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae immediately declared restrictions on the prosecution's direct investigation as soon as she took office.



[Chu Mi-ae / Minister of Justice in January 2020: (Prosecutor's Office) rather infringed on human rights, and the adhesion with power greatly aggravated public concern.

We are gradually reducing the scope of direct investigation...

.]



Over the past three years, the number of direct investigation and specialized departments of the prosecution has decreased from 48 to 15 or a third.



Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon has overturned the previous government's stance and presented a reorganization plan to revive the reduced or lost direct investigation function.



This is a plan to enable all front-line criminal prosecutors, who could only directly investigate some cases, to directly investigate the six major crimes, and to strengthen the function of the investigation department in charge of complex cases.

[Han Dong-hoon/ Minister



of Justice (personnel hearing at the National Assembly last month): (Reducing the prosecution's investigative powers) I think we need to show various policy imaginations about the hole in the crime response that occurs through the law.]



The rules are also repealed.



The explanation was attached to block the controversy over the Minister's intervention in the investigation.



It was emphasized that there was no expansion or reinforcement of departments, but some pointed out that the organizational reorganization was inappropriate when the prosecutor general was vacant, and there are voices worrying about the evil centered on the special department.



The Ministry of Justice plans to collect opinions on the reform plan and hand it over to the State Council at the end of this month.