Lee calls for cautious approach to prosecution reform amid hard-line DPK push

President Lee Jae Myung delivers an address during a ceremony marking the 66th anniversary of March 15 democracy movement in the southeastern city of Changwon, Sunday. Joint Press Corps

President Lee Jae Myung on Monday called for a measured and strategic approach to the ongoing prosecution reform to ensure it achieves its intended purpose, responding to hard-line calls within the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) for sweeping changes to the prosecution system.

Lee made the remarks on his social media account on X, as some hardliners in the DPK have been pushing for far-reaching reforms aimed at sharply curbing prosecutorial powers. Their proposals include renaming the prosecutor general as the "chief of the indictment agency" in line with plans to transform the prosecution service into a body focused solely on indictments.

"The separation of investigation and prosecution, as well as the exclusion of the prosecution from investigative authority, has already been confirmed as a national policy task and is irreversible," Lee wrote. "It is difficult to understand why the title of prosecutor general should be changed to 'chief of the indictment agency,' which could leave room for controversy over its constitutionality."

Under a government reorganization bill passed by the National Assembly last September, two new agencies — an investigative body and an indictment agency — are set to be launched in October.

While Lee has signaled a more cautious and gradual approach to institutional reform, some DPK lawmakers have opposed the government's plan to allow the indictment agency to request further investigations from police or conduct limited probes when necessary.

He also opposed claims that all prosecutors should be dismissed and selectively reappointed after screening, saying such measures could provide opponents with grounds for counterattack, especially as the criteria for reappointment remain unclear.