PPP files constitutional complaint against revision to Criminal Procedure Act

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) submitted a constitutional complaint on Thursday against a revision to South Korea's Criminal Procedure Act. The amendment eliminates prosecutors' authority to conduct direct investigations, a change the PPP contends undermines the nation's criminal justice system. The PPP argues that scrapping prosecutors' investigative powers conflicts with their constitutional right to request warrants and violates principles of separation of powers and citizens' right to a swift trial.

Rep. Kim Tae-kyu, the head of the PPP's legal advisory committee, submitted the complaint to the Constitutional Court, asserting that the abolishment of supplementary investigative authority fundamentally undermines the Criminal Procedure Act and could potentially dismantle the entire criminal procedure system. The revision, approved by the Cabinet last week, is set to take effect on October 2nd.

Under the new law, prosecutors will no longer be able to conduct direct or supplementary investigations, leaving this authority solely to the police. Police will have up to two months to complete any investigations requested by prosecutors.