(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Hwang Jae-ha and Choi Won-jeong = Acting Minister of Justice Lee Jin-soo (Vice Minister of Justice) expressed regret over the political circles' criticism of not reducing the number of prosecutors, complaining about the reality that front-line prosecutors are suffering from heavy workload.
At the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee's audit of the Ministry of Justice on the 8th, Acting Attorney Lee said, "(The Prosecutor's Office) has been separated into the Public Prosecution Office and the Central Investigation Office, but people are asking why the number of prosecutors is not decreasing, but prosecutors are really suffering from a heavy workload in the front line judicial field."
Acting Attorney Lee explained, “Currently, trial prosecutors are suffering from a murderous workload, involved in trials four to five days a week. The court is increasing the number of judges by adding about 370 judges last year, but the Prosecutor Quota Act has remained the same, so the quota has been frozen for about 12 years since 2014.”
He also added, “In order for the prosecutor in charge of the trial to be involved in the trial 4 or 5 days a week, he must work overtime every day to prepare for the trial the next day.”
Acting Lee Jin-soo's answer came in the process of answering a question from Rep. Kim Yong-min of the Democratic Party of Korea regarding the large number of prosecutors in the Public Prosecution Office who are not involved in trials.
Explaining the heavy workload of trial prosecutors, Acting Prosecutor Lee said, "Nevertheless, the criminal department is evaluated as having a higher workload than that." He added, "The prosecution can be maintained smoothly only when the charges are accurately determined for each victim and crime facts and whether or not to indict."
At the same time, he emphasized the importance of prosecutors in the criminal department, saying, "If an incorrect indictment is made, not only may the prosecution be unreasonably maintained, but if the evidence is not judged properly, it will be a violation of the human rights of the defendant more than anything else."
Acting Lee also responded to People Power Party lawmaker Kwak Gyu-taek's point out that the number of unsolved cases exceeded 180,000 just before the prosecutor's office was abolished, he explained, "The number of unsolved cases, which were around 50,000 to 60,000 at the end of 2024, has increased three to four times this year. The number of unsolved cases per prosecutor has increased by 4.2 times."
Rep. Seo Young-kyo of the Democratic Party, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, asked, “Aren’t there about 2,000 cases (out of all unsolved cases) that are directly investigated and supplemented?”
In response, Acting Director Lee responded, "It is true that most unsolved cases are cases transferred from the police," but also added, "It takes a lot of effort for prosecutors to review records, check facts, and decide whether to supplement evidence in these cases. This is to explain the reality of such a heavy workload."
