Home > Opinion > Editorials

Diluting prosecutors while expanding Interior Ministry power

Published: 08 Sep. 2025, 10:14

Interior Minister Yoon Ho-jung and Democratic Party Policy Committee Chair Han Jeong-ae announce the results of the third high-level party-government meeting and a government reorganization plan at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno District on Sept. 7. [YONHAP]

The government and Democratic Party (DP) on Sunday announced a major reorganization plan that would split the Ministry of Economy and Finance into a Budget Office and a Ministry of Finance and Economy. Most controversially, the plan abolishes the Prosecutors’ Office, replacing it with a Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and a Public Prosecution Agency. Despite concerns, the new investigative agency will be placed under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

The intent to weaken prosecutorial power is understandable in the wake of abuses under a president who was a former prosecutor. But if abolishing the prosecutors’ office results in the rise of an even more powerful agency, the reform risks backfiring. Since the Moon Jae-in administration, the police have gained greater authority. Adjustments to investigative rights shifted most responsibilities from prosecutors to police, and even the power of prosecutorial command over police investigations was abolished. The pledge of the “complete deprivation of prosecutorial investigative authority” further consolidated the role of the police.

The changes went beyond investigations. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) was stripped of its domestic intelligence functions, giving the police a monopoly over information. The NIS’s counterespionage authority also went to the police. Now, with the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency added under the Interior Ministry, the ministry would command a police force already strengthened while absorbing prosecutorial authority. The interior minister also holds authority in matters of martial law alongside the defense minister.

If the expansion of the Interior Ministry’s power brought clear improvements in public safety, some justification might be made. But after the Moon-era reforms, responsibility-shifting between agencies produced long delays, showing the risks of premature restructuring. By eliminating the last balance between investigative bodies, the new plan threatens further confusion. Experts raised such concerns in hearings of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee, yet the government and DP pressed ahead as if the decision was already settled.

Other restructuring measures also face criticism. Financial companies worry about disruption from changes in regulatory oversight. The proposed Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment would combine regulation with industry promotion, creating policy contradictions. An expansion of the Broadcasting, Media, and Communications Commission has drawn claims that it is intended to force out Chair Lee Jin-sook.

The DP hopes to pass the reorganization bill in the National Assembly on Sept. 25, with a one-year delay before the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency takes effect. Even so, critics argue that ignoring concerns about excessive concentration of power in the Interior Ministry risks undermining public safety. Reform cannot mean replacing one overbearing authority with another.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.