Ruling party pushes through sweeping gov't overhaul, dismantling Supreme Prosecutors' Office and triggering protests

Lawmakers vote on a revised government reorganization bill during a plenary session at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

The National Assembly on Friday approved the first major government reorganization bill under the Lee Jae Myung administration, dismantling the Supreme Prosecutors' Office after 78 years and creating new agencies to separately handle investigative and prosecutorial functions.

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which together with allied parties holds an overwhelming majority in the Assembly, submitted a motion on Thursday evening to end a filibuster by the main opposition People Power Party (PPP).

The motion was adopted Friday evening, bringing an end to a marathon debate. The reorganization bill was subsequently approved with 174 votes in favor, one against and five abstentions, out of 180 lawmakers present. Members of the opposition People Power Party boycotted the vote and held a massive protest in downtown Seoul days later.

Central to the legislation is the dismantling of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, a central institution in Korea's criminal justice system since 1948.

Its authority will be divided between two newly established bodies: the serious crimes investigation office, which will fall under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and assume responsibility for major investigations, and a separate prosecution office under the Ministry of Justice tasked with determining whether cases proceed to trial. The changes will take effect after a one-year transition period, with the government convening a task force to coordinate follow-up measures.

A truck displaying a banner protesting the abolition of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office is parked near the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in Seocho District, Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

The bill also contains other restructuring measures. The Ministry of Environment will be expanded and renamed the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, absorbing certain energy-related functions from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

In the media sector, the Korea Communications Commission will be dissolved and replaced by a new body, the Broadcasting and Media Communications Commission. Plans to restructure the Financial Services Commission were dropped from the final draft of the legislation.

The PPP has denounced the overhaul as reckless and politically motivated. The PPP floor leader, Rep. Song Eon-seog, accused the ruling party of railroading the changes through, stating that dismantling the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and splitting it into two agencies is “an irresponsible attempt to push through a campaign promise without consensus.”

The conservative bloc mounted symbolic resistance through a prolonged filibuster. Rep. Park Soo-min set a new parliamentary record by speaking for over 17 hours straight, surpassing his own previous record.

Rep. Jung Chung-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, walks out after casting his vote on a motion to end the filibuster against the government reorganization bill during a plenary session at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Friday

“No one can answer where 10,000 prosecutors and investigators will go during the one-year transition period,” he said during his marathon speech, warning that the restructuring could paralyze law enforcement.

DPK leader Rep. Jung Chung-rae hailed the passage as a milestone in Korea's democratic reforms.

“History will remember today’s reform as a moment when our democracy took another step forward,” he told party members, adding that the abolition of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office ahead of the Chuseok holiday fulfilled a campaign pledge.

The showdown highlights the growing partisan divide over institutional reform under the current president. To the ruling party, the reorganization is a key campaign pledge aimed at reining in prosecutorial power and restructuring government agencies. For the opposition, however, it is proof of what they describe as “one-party rule” and a threat to Korea’s system of checks and balances.

Conservatives attend a rally organized by the main opposition People Power Party in Seoul, Sunday, protesting the passage of a major government reorganization bill. Yonhap

The PPP held a mass rally in downtown Seoul, Sunday, accusing the government and ruling party of undermining the judiciary and monopolizing state power. The party said about 100,000 people joined the event, its largest outdoor protest since 2020, after a smaller gathering in Daegu earlier this month.