Tension simmered over the weekend as the police and the prosecution reported to the presidential transition team their positions on President-elect Park Geun-hye’s pledge to disperse the authorities’ concentrated power and eradicate outdated practices.

On Sunday, the third day of the government briefing session, among the government organizations to debrief Park’s team were the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the National Police Agency, and the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.

The police reported to Park’s team its view on how to balance investigative powers between themselves and the prosecution, a long-time source of sour relations between the two.

They reportedly suggested for the police to take charge of the investigation before the case is sent to the prosecutors, and for the prosecution to hold the right thereafter. The police also reportedly proposed setting up a system enabling them to object to the prosecutors’ exclusive right to seek an arrest warrant.

Park has vowed to implement “reasonable distribution of investigative rights,” indicating that she may move to reduce the prosecutors’ power of direct investigation and acknowledge the independence of police investigations.

With her pledge yet to become concrete, the prosecution and the police are reportedly in a silent tug-of-war over to what degree the prosecution should be able to continue commanding police investigations.

The police also briefed the transition team on their plans for fighting crimes against women and children, and on the need to gradually expand the police force dedicated to such cases. The police explained that they have installed a women and youth division at 101 major police stations nationwide and suggested establishing a respective bureau long-term at the NPA. To better respond to domestic violence, the police were said to have requested a right to enter a household in emergency cases.

Briefings by the Justice Ministry and the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office the day before focused on self-reform by the prosecution. Park has pledged to abolish the top prosecution office’s central investigation department which has long been accused of being politically charged in handling high-profile cases.

The prosecution reportedly focused their session on presenting the pros and cons of different scenarios of closing down or maintaining the central investigation unit, along with alternatives such as establishing a separate investigation body or task force within the SPO.

With regard to Park’s pledge to create a permanent independent counsel, the prosecutors reportedly expressed opposition, saying the role would coincide with the exclusive investigation bureau for high-rank officials’ irregularities, a body also envisioned by Park.

The prosecutors reportedly reiterated their position that if their investigative power were to be reduced, the police would have to be strictly divided into “administrative” and “investigative” police.

During its policy briefing, the DAPA said the tasks that should be promptly pushed for under the incoming government include the purchase of next-generation fighter jets and other aerial assets.

Under the “FX-III” project, the Seoul government plans to purchase a high-end fleet of about 60 fighter jets with a budget of around 8.3 trillion won ($7.8 billion), seeking to deploy them from 2016.

Meanwhile, in time for the DAPA briefing, a group of protestors against the Jeju naval base construction held a rally in front of the transition committee headquarters. The DAPA is in charge of financing the controversial project protested by some civic groups as an environmental hazard and likely to increase regional tensions.

The protesters called for an immediate suspension of the construction for more verification and submitted a request for a meeting with the transition committee’s chief Kim Yong-joon.

The Defense Ministry in its briefing session on Friday reportedly stated that the base construction must continue, citing risks to the financing and efficiency if the project were suspended.

The MPVA reported on measures to expand compensation for war veterans and recovery operations.

By Lee Joo-hee (jhl@heraldcorp.com)