To Limit the Top - written by 20106 Kim Haemin
To Limit the Top
written by 20106 Kim Haemin
What is the biggest problem with Korean politics which abuse of authority and irregularities for budgetary use? The law is not complete in sanctioning corruption within the political system. In order to prevent this, it was recently re-suggested to create a department called the Criminal Investigation Department of High Public Officials (CIDHPO) by Kwon Eun-hee, a member of the opposition party.
This will be an independent agency that focuses on investigating and indicting irregularities involving high-ranking government officials and their families. Its purpose is to prevent the prosecution from becoming politically powerful. It maintains independence by transferring of investigative rights and prosecutorial rights that the prosecution had monopolized. Therefore, it can be more effective when it comes to investigating corruption within the prosecution or corruptive figures that could also affect the prosecution's investigation.
President Moon Jae-in announced his plan to create this kind of department in July 2017. He is trying to reform the prosecution, which has been criticized for serving as a drain on the political power in the past based on its strong will to reform powerful agencies. In addition, in October 2017, the Ministry of Justice showed its own plan to take charge of investigating the influence-peddling scandal involving high-ranking government officials.
Originally, it was supposed to get the president's permission for appointing the head of the Investigation Department. However, today there is a slight difference in the policy of CIDHPO which Kwon suggested, which is that parliamentary consent is essentials when it comes to appointing ministers. This seems to be affected by her party, the opposition government.
It would be a non-prosecution disposition committee consisting of outside members which would be set up to receive prior examination before the disposal of the indictment. It also stipulated that all corrupt crimes committed by prosecutors should be transferred to the CIDHPO to avoid controversy over their alleged favoritism and recognized the right of the organization to investigate corruption, which is prioritized more than other investigative agencies. According to the ministry, if a prosecutor of CIDHPO is found guilty of a crime, the agency must hand over the data to the prosecution for investigation.
Currently, the law on the establishment of CIDHPO is under discussion since it has been designated as a fast-track agenda, based on an agreement reached between the ruling and opposition parties. Media is paying keen attention to whether the integrity of high-ranking government officials that the candlelight vigils wanted will be realized.
If you would like to read more about this:
-Suggestion of the
Department in 2017
-Moon’s plan for
reforming prosecution
-Difference of the
suggestion from Kwon.
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