South Korea dismantles 78-year-old prosecution service, creates two new crime agencies

In a sweeping reform by the Lee Jae Myung administration, the 78-year-old Public Prosecution Service was dissolved and its powers split. New legal amendments, effective on Friday, restrict the former service to indictments only. Investigation of seven major crime categories—including corruption, economic crimes, defense procurement, drug offenses, state-security violations, cybercrime and legal distortion—has been assigned to the newly created Serious Crimes Investigation Agency.

The national police will continue handling most ordinary crimes, while the new agency will also oversee serious offenses such as child abuse, domestic violence, sexual crimes against minors, stalking and abuse of vulnerable adults. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials keeps combined investigative and prosecutorial authority over cases involving judges, prosecutors and senior police officers. The overhaul responds to long-standing criticism that the prosecution service wielded excessive authority and displayed political bias.