{
  "id": 73943,
  "title": "Police vow to enhance quality of investigations before sending cases to prosecution",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/03/police-vow-to-enhance-quality-of-investigations-before-sending-cases",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-03T06:57:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yonhap News",
    "slug": "yonhap-news",
    "url": "https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260803008700315"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Seoul, August 3 (Yonhap) -- The head of Korea's top investigative body has pledged to enhance the thoroughness of preliminary inquiries before cases are forwarded to prosecutors, following the National Assembly's approval of a bill last week to strip prosecutors of their power to conduct direct and supplementary investigations. Hong Seok-ki, director of the National Office of Investigation (NOI) at the Korean National Police Agency, expressed a sense of grave duty as the criminal justice system approaches a pivotal juncture. His comments followed the Assembly's endorsement of a revision to the Criminal Procedure Act on Friday, which eliminates prosecutors' authority to conduct direct investigations and transfer that responsibility to judicial police officers, who can now request supplementary investigations.\n\nArticle 195 of the revised Criminal Procedure Act explicitly mandates that prosecutors and judicial police officers collaborate in investigations, prosecutions, and maintaining public prosecutions, according to Hong. He emphasized that this legislative shift aims to delineate the roles and responsibilities of the two agencies. The NOI chief further stated that prosecutors' requests for supplementary investigations by police could diminish considerably, as police can seek legal counsel and guidance from prosecutors, who are obligated to provide responses. \"The revised law requires that all additional investigation findings and related materials be forwarded to the prosecutor,\" he explained, adding that this measure will bolster the comprehensiveness of investigations and prevent public harm.\n\nHong also dismissed apprehensions that prosecutors might indiscriminately request supplementary investigations, asserting that the police will only refer cases after thorough consultations with prosecutors.",
  "summary": "SEOUL, Aug. 3 (Yonhap) -- The nation's top police investigator said Monday that ...",
  "key_points": [
    "Korea's top investigative body vows to improve preliminary inquiries.",
    "Prosecutors lose power to conduct direct investigations, police take over.",
    "Collaboration between prosecutors and police mandated by revised law."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}