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| Prosecutor General Moon Moo-il speaks at a press conference in Seoul, Thursday. / Yonhap |
By Kim Se-jeong
Prosecutor General Moon Moo-il said Thursday that the prosecution should retain the sole right to apply for arrest warrants for criminal suspects, opposing Cheong Wa Dae's drive to have it share the right with police.
Speaking at a press briefing for local journalists, Moon said, "The debate over investigative rights is not only between the prosecution and police. It also involves citizens who will be the subject of investigations."
Under the current system, the police can investigate but cannot seek an arrest warrant _ this must be done only through the prosecution. President Moon Jae-in and his officials believe this further corrupts what is already a powerful body that is seen as corruption-ridden by many.
In making his case against Cheong Wa Dae's initiative, the top prosecutor said: "That could mean the police will not report to the prosecution cases which they dropped. It is hard to imagine. I am not sure if that is possible in principle."
He also emphasized the importance of the balance of power within the police agency.
"Korea is the only country in the world in which police work under a single line of command. This was inherited from Japan but that country changed its own policy. We also need to disperse power so that regional police agencies can have autonomy. With that in place, I believe the issue of investigative rights will be sorted out automatically."
Dispersing the prosecution's power was one of President Moon Jae-in's campaign pledges as part of large-scale judicial reform promised in response to growing public outrage over corrupt high-ranking government officials and their family members escaping punishment.
Incumbent prosecutors were also found to have embroiled in corruption scandals and actively curried favor with the political elite when investigating them.
A case in point was Woo Byung-woo, a former prosecutor who served as a presidential secretary for civil affairs under former President Park Geun-hye. Working outside his mandate, he actively sought to hide President Park and her friend Choi Soon-sil's corruption. His wife and mother-in-law allegedly received bribes from people who knew Woo's powerful connections.
At Thursday's press conference, Moon said he supported the idea of creating a body dedicated to investigating corruption among high-profile government officials, politicians and their families, including the prosecution itself.
"I don't oppose the creation of the new investigative body," he said.
It was the first time Prosecutor General Moon, tapped by President Moon, was so direct in criticizing Cheong Wa Dae's drive. Local news outlets said he complained that the prosecution should not be part of reform negotiations with other stakeholders.
The reform drive is spearheaded by Cho Kuk, the presidential secretary for civil affairs, along with Justice Minister Park Sang-ki and Interior Minister Kim Boo-kyum. Moon's comments came two weeks after he promised reform to lawmakers at the National Assembly, and will continue to draw public criticism of his agency.
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