President Lee Jae Myung calls for police reform body amid expanded investigative powers

SEOUL, Aug. 25 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday the police will soon wield the greatest power among government agencies, calling for the formation of a government body to be in charge of police reform.

The president made the remarks at a Cabinet meeting following the recent passage of a revision to the Criminal Procedure Act, which, when enacted, will completely strip the prosecution of all investigative authority, leaving such power solely to the police.

They also come after the discovery of the presumed body of a woman reported missing on the southern Jeju Island. A police officer on Jeju reportedly closed the missing person case without confirming her whereabouts or safety, prompting a public outcry over lax police investigations.

"As there is skepticism about whether (police) are qualified to exercise their great authority, I hope (the government) will consider how to reform the police, how to establish a (government) body" that will oversee police reform, Lee said.

The president specifically instructed the prime minister's office to gather public input and come up with a plan for establishing the envisioned body.

"Going forward, the police may exercise the greatest power among government agencies," the president said, adding that the public is greatly concerned about the change.

Lee pointed to what he called "recent serious public safety cases revealing irresponsibility" of the police, stressing that "unrelenting efforts should be made to minimize these problems and the system needs to be overhauled."

"Power, when concentrated, always creates problems. The level of responsibility should be strengthened to match the extent of the authority," the president said.