“수사 기피할까봐 걱정”…검사의 ‘지휘’ 잃는 ‘특사경’의 불안

A second-year special legal police officer (special prosecutor) named 김씨 is concerned about the upcoming "investigation command void" in their role. As someone who mainly deals with food and public health-related cases, Mr. Kim often requests investigators to take command of investigations. Despite holding the title of "investigator," his lack of experience with investigation and legal procedures makes him unfamiliar with these processes.

In an interview with the newspaper on the 25th, Mr. Kim expressed his worries, stating, "The legal review is entirely dependent on investigative command. I don't know if we will be able to handle it properly in the future. The burden of mistakes will also be heavier." Starting from October 2nd, special prosecutors will no longer have investigative command under the revised Criminal Procedure Act.

With this change, special prosecutors, who have limited experience in investigation due to their administrative status, are grappling with the fear of taking full responsibility for investigations. The larger the organization, the greater the potential for chaos. Smaller organizations with fewer special prosecutors face even more uncertainty.