The Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea (SPO) is a governmental
prosecutor
A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the Civil law (legal system), civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the ...
organization in
South Korea and is run under the
Ministry of Justice. As a national representative of prosecutors, the Office works with the
Supreme Court of Korea and below.
Organization
It consists of:
*
Supreme Prosecutors' Office (대검찰청) ; executive agency that oversees the Korean Public Prosecutors' Office.
*
High Prosecutors' Office (고등검찰청) ; composed of different ''District Prosecutors' Office (지방검찰청)''
**
Seoul High Prosecutors' Office
***Within
Seoul : (Central District Prosecutors' Office; Eastern District Prosecutors' Office; Southern District Prosecutors' Office ; Northern District Prosecutors' Office; Western District Prosecutors' Office)
***District Prosecutors' Office of
Chuncheon
Chuncheon (; ; formerly romanized as Chunchŏn; literally ''spring river'') is the capital of Gangwon Province in South Korea. The city lies in the north of the county, located in a basin formed by the Soyang River and Han River. There are some ...
(District Office of
Gangneung; District Office of
Sokcho; District Office of
Wonju; District Office of
Yeongwol
Yeongwol County (''Yeongwol-gun'') is a county in Gangwon Province, South Korea.
It is well known as the place where King Danjong, the sixth king of Joseon Dynasty, was exiled when he was forced to abdicate by his uncle, who became Sejo of Joseon ...
)
***District Prosecutors' Office of
Uijeongbu
Uijeongbu () is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.
Overview
Uijeongbu is located north of the Korean capital Seoul; it lies inside a Defile (geography), defile, with mountains on two sides, and com ...
(District Office of
Goyang
Goyang (''Goyang-si''; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province in the north of South Korea. It is part of the Seoul Capital Area, making Goyang one of Seoul's satellite cities. It is one of the largest cities in the Seoul Capital Area, with a populatio ...
; District Office of
Namyangju)
***District Prosecutors' Office of
Incheon
Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...
(District Office of
Bucheon
Bucheon () is a administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Bucheon is located away from Seoul, of which it is a satellite town, satellite city. It is located between Incheon and Seoul.
Bucheon is the second ...
)
**
Suwon High Prosecutors' Office
***District Prosecutors' Office of
Suwon
Suwon (, ) is the capital and largest city of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea's most populous province which surrounds Seoul, the national capital. Suwon lies about south of Seoul. It is traditionally known as "The City of Filial Piety". With a populati ...
(District Office of
Seongnam; District Office of
Anyang
Anyang (; ) is a prefecture-level city in Henan province, China. The northernmost city in Henan, Anyang borders Puyang to the east, Hebi and Xinxiang to the south, and the provinces of Shanxi and Hebei to its west and north respectively.
It had a ...
; District Office of
Ansan
Ansan (Hangeul: , ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It lies southwest of Seoul and is part of the Seoul National Capital Area. It is connected to Seoul by rail via Seoul Subway Line 4. It is situated on the Yellow Sea coast and so ...
; District Office of
Pyeongtaek; District Office of
Yeoju)
**
Busan High Prosecutors' Office
***District Prosecutors' Office of
Busan (Eastern District Office; Western District Office)
***District Prosecutors' Office of
Ulsan
***District Prosecutors' Office of
Changwon
Changwon () is the capital city of Gyeongsangnam-do, on the southeast coast of South Korea. With a population of 1.07 million , Changwon is South Korea's ninth-most populous city.
A port city, Changwon is bordered by Masan Bay to the south ...
(District Office of
Masan; District Office of
Jinju
Jinju () is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It was the location of the first (1592) and second (1593) Sieges of Jinju by Japanese forces during the Imjin War. The Republic of Korea Air Force Education and Training Command is ...
; District Office of
Miryang
Miryang (perhaps pronounced as Milbeol using Idu script), formerly also spelled as 推火郡 (probably pronounced as Milbeol or Miribeol using Idu script), Milbeol (密伐) and Milseong (密城), is a city in Gyeongsangnam-do Province, South Ko ...
; District Office of
Tongyeong; District Office of
Geochang
Geochang County (''Geochang-gun,'' ) is a county in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. The Geochang International Festival of Theater, which was started in 1989, is renowned as the best play festival in Korea. The District Office is l ...
)
**
Daegu High Prosecutors' Office
***District Prosecutors' Office of
Daegu
Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea.
It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...
(Western District Office; District Office of
Andong
Andong () is a city in South Korea, and the capital of North Gyeongsang Province. It is the largest city in the northern part of the province with a population of 167,821 as of October 2010. The Nakdong River flows through the city. Andong is a m ...
; District Office of
Gyeongju
Gyeongju ( ko, 경주, ), historically known as ''Seorabeol'' ( ko, 서라벌, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, ...
; District Office of
Yeongdeok; Branch Office of
Sangju; District Office of
Uiseong; District Office of
Pohang; District Office of
Gimcheon)
**
Daejeon High Prosecutors' Office
***District Prosecutors' Office of
Daejeon (District Office of
Hongseong ; Branch Office of
Gongju; District Office of
Nonsan
Nonsan () is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It is located at . The origin of Nonsan's geographical names is said to have come from the small garden " Nolmoe, " which rises in the middle of farming fields, where rice paddies ...
; District Office of
Seosan; District Office of
Cheonan
Cheonan (; 천안시, ''Cheonan-si''), also spelled Ch'ŏnan, is a city in South Chungcheong, South Korea.
Cheonan has a population of 666,417 (2018), making it the most-populous city or county in South Chungcheong, and the third most-populous ci ...
)
***District Prosecutors' Office of
Cheongju (District Office of
Chungju
Chungju (충주시) is a city in North Chungcheong province, South Korea. Uamsan is a mountain located within the outskirts of the city.
The city is famous for the annual martial arts festival held in October. Also of note, former UN Secretary-G ...
; Branch Office of
Yeongdong; District Office of
Jecheon
Jecheon () is a city in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. The city is a major railway junction or a transportation mecca, served by the Jungang, Chungbuk and Taebaek Lines. Jecheon has scenic surroundings and several tourist spots like the ...
)
**
Gwangju Public Prosecutors' Office
***District Prosecutors' Office of
Gwangju
Gwangju () is South Korea's sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister. The city was also the capital of South Jeolla Province until the provincial office ...
( District Office of
Mokpo; District Office of
Jangheung
Jangheung County (''Jangheung-gun'') is a county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea.
Slow city
In 2007 Jangheung was designated as a slow city. It was the first slow city designation in Asia.
Spot for filming
''Festival'' (1996) was filmed ...
;Office of
Suncheon
Suncheon () (''Suncheon-si'') is a city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is a scenic agricultural and industrial city of around 250,000 people near Suncheon Bay. It is located in the southeastern corner of Jeollanam-do, just over an hour ...
;District Office of
Haenam
Haenam (''Haenam-gun'') is a county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea.
The capital of Haenam-gun is Haenam-eup (Haenam town).
The economy of the county is based mainly on agriculture, with rice and radish being the two most common crops.
Hist ...
)
***District Prosecutors' Office of
Jeonju (District Office of
Gunsan; District Office of
Jeongeup; District Office of
Namwon)
***District Prosecutors' Office of
Jeju
Jeju may refer to:
* Jeju Island (Jejudo), an island near South Korea
* Jeju Province (formerly transliterated Cheju), a province of South Korea comprising Jejudo
**Jeju City, the biggest city on Jejudo
**Jeju dog, a dog native to Jejudo
** Jeju l ...
Controversies
Since the latter half of the year 2010, the ruling political party in South Korea, the
Grand National Party, has an uneasy stance with the budget issues and eventually generated severe disputes relating to corruptions and it contributed to criticisms against the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.
On January 13, 2012, the Seoul High Court cleared one of the bribery charges against Han Myeong-sook.
Prosecutor general
In 2011, a prosecutor general candidate, Han Sang-dae (한상대) was under investigation for his two incidents of false address registration and his participation of draft-dodging.
Civilian inspections
The Supreme Prosecutors' Office is alleged for hypocritical actions that it poorly managed the investigation of the illegal political-level inspections towards civilian institutions in 2010, however restricted an episode of
MBC PD Note about this incident.
Right-wing political policing
The SPO under the
Lee Myung-bak government has right-wing political characteristics. There was a series of allegations of sabotages against the current non-partisan mayor,
Park Won-soon, by the SPO before the October 2011 election. Politicians who had supported former president
Roh Moo-hyun also supported Park Won-soon under a unified intention to oppose the current SPO. The SPO's investigations against
Han Myeong-sook
Han Myeong-sook (born March 24, 1944; ko, 한명숙 ) was the Prime Minister of South Korea from April 2006 to March 2007. She is South Korea's first female prime minister (second female prime minister overall if the acting premiership of Chan ...
has led to more controversy as the Seoul High Court has found her innocent twice in the row. However, the SPO has immediately appealed the decision, citing 11 different counts of evidence. Amongst them were direct statements by Han man-ho that he paid her 900,000,000 won in illegal fund money, Han Myeong-sook's siblings usage 100,000,000 won checks, and 240,000,000 won in Mrs. Han's bank account that had a 'suspicious trail'. The SPO alleges that Han Myeong-sook's assistant was taking the fall to cover for her illegal activities.
Sexual favors
In November 2012, it was alleged a 30-year-old trainee prosecutor, was found to have performed sexual acts in the office with the suspect in her 40s while questioning her over an alleged theft and other charges earlier that month. According to inspectors at the Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office (SPO) four days later, he took the woman to a nearby motel where they had sex. Jae-mong Jeon, the junior prosecutor, also a
patent attorney and a graduate of
Seoul National University
Seoul National University (SNU; ) is a national public research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Founded in 1946, Seoul National University is largely considered the most prestigious university in South Korea; it is one of the three "S ...
and
Hanyang Law School, claims the sex was consensual, according to investigators. The incident has rocked the Korean Prosecutors Office to the core and resulted in a strong reprimand from the president and prompt resignation of the Chief Prosecutor.
G20 summit poster incident
There was an incident where a university instructor, Park Jeong-su, vandalized a G-20 promotional poster by drawing a rat before the
2010 G-20 Seoul summit
The 2010 G20 Seoul Summit was the fifth meeting of the G20 heads of government/heads of state, to discuss the global financial system and the world economy,Cho Jin-seo "Seoul unveils G20 summit's symbol," ''Korea Times'' (ROK). July 8, 2010; ...
. His prosecution by the SPO has exposed concerns that the SPO is politically leaned to serve the Lee Myung-bak government.
Impact
Baek Hye-ryun (백혜련), the female district attorney of the Daegu District Public Prosecutor's Office, voluntarily resigned on November 21, 2011 as the SPO cannot officially maintain its political neutrality under the Lee Myung-bak government.
The former chief secretary to late President
Roh Moo-hyun,
Moon Jae-in suggested that the SPO's resistance against reformations during the previous Participation Government, in which it also succeeded as the spearhead of the right-wing Lee Myung-bak government, eventually contributed to the ''unjust'' investigations against Roh in 2009.
Abuse of citizens
On October 26, 2011, the
Seoul Central District Court appealed against the SPO for continuing an abusive investigation of a child sex abuse case; demanded the government to compensate the family members of the case in question.
Yoon Seokyeol's resignation
Yoon Suk-Yeol, who was
Moon Jae-in the government's second attorney general against major criminal investigation office of the promotion and resigned. He received public attention due to conflicts with the Ministry of Justice, disciplinary action against suspension of work and the court's decision to reject suspension of work. He has topped the presidential survey since his resignation.
Reputation
The 47.1% of South Korean disapproved the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and the credibility was scored low at 4 out of 10, According to the survey conducted in 2009.
Overall general consensus amongst the Korean media rates the Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea as having very low credibility.
Calls for reform
The power of the prosecutor’s office has been called into question recently with people expressing outrage over the multiple scandals that have occurred within the office and the relationship between the office and business conglomerates. President Moon has drafted prosecution reforms to redistribute some of the power given to the prosecutor's office. The reforms will give back some of the control of criminal investigations to police officers. The point of this would be to distribute the power in the criminal investigations and prevent the prosecutors from acting on behalf of business conglomerates. Another aspect of the reform would be to establish a task force that would investigate high-level corruption.
An issue Moon faced with the implementation of his policies was probing his newly appointed Justice Minister, Cho Kuk in 2019. Cho was given the responsibility of overseeing these reforms. The prosecutor’s office launched an investigation into Cho’s family, specifically looking into his wife and daughter. These investigators found that Cho’s daughter was gaining from her father’s status which is not seen as fraud but only a product of privilege. The pressures from the investigation became too much that Cho eventually stepped down from his position only six weeks later. The fate of these reforms is caught in the balance between the democratic party and the conservatives who have been backing the prosecutor's office.
President Moon has continued to fight for the implementation of these reforms. In January 2020, Choo Mi-ae became the Justice Minister and worked alongside Moon to limit the prosecutor's office and get the reforms through the legislature.
See also
*
Prosecutor General of South Korea
The Prosecutor General of South Korea () is the head of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea.
Duties
The duties are mentioned under the "Prosecutors' Office Act" ( ko, 검찰청법) enacted since 10 March 1993.
Since 31 De ...
*
Ministry of Justice (South Korea)
South Korea's Ministry of Justice (MOJ) is a cabinet-level ministry overseeing justice affairs, headed by the Minister of Justice. It is responsible for supervising South Korea prosecution service, legal affairs, immigration control, correction ...
References
External links
*
Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea
{{authority control
Government agencies of South Korea
Prosecution services