South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has promulgated a landmark statutory reform that fundamentally diminishes the direct investigative purview of the nation's elite state prosecution service.

The legislation represents the culmination of a decade-long political struggle over the extraordinary powers historically wielded by South Korean prosecutors, who previously exercised near-total authority over criminal investigations, indictment discretion, and warrant requests.

Under the newly enacted judicial code, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office will be restricted exclusively to evaluating case files for legal indictment and conducting trial litigation, while primary investigative field powers transfer permanently to the National Investigation Headquarters under the police apparatus.

"No single state institution should simultaneously hold the power to investigate, interrogate, and decide upon legal prosecution. This separation protects constitutional rights."
— Presidential Blue House Enactment Statement

Institutional Friction Across Seoul's Legal Complex

The swift legislative implementation prompted senior resignations across the Ministry of Justice and regional prosecutors' offices, with legal scholars warning that the transition could lead to jurisdictional delays in complex corporate embezzlement and cybercrime inquiries.

To ease institutional concerns, the administration established a two-year transitional task force paired with expanded oversight bodies to ensure strict accountability over the national police investigative apparatus.