The ministry said April 29 that Jung ordered the committee’s creation and explained the rationale.
It said prosecutors established a human rights violation review task force at the Seoul High Prosecutors Office in September last year and investigated allegations of rights abuses and overreach, but the effort was deemed insufficient to resolve public doubts. The ministry added that additional suspicions have persisted after new facts emerged during a subsequent parliamentary investigation, leaving many people questioning the legality and appropriateness of the investigative process at the time.
Taking those circumstances into account, Jung directed the ministry to establish an independent committee made up of outside members, it said.
According to the ministry, Jung instructed the committee to select cases for review where public doubts have been raised about investigations and indictments; devise a plan to form an investigative body to independently examine related allegations arising from prosecutors’ work; and report findings and recommend follow-up steps to prevent recurrence if rights violations or abuse of authority are confirmed.
A ministry official said it “takes seriously the criticisms and reprimands” raised during the parliamentary investigation’s agency briefings, on-site inspections and hearings, and pledged to “systematically review and correct” past prosecutorial practices and errors so the prosecution can fulfill its responsibilities as a core criminal justice institution and regain public trust.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.