The prosecution is under mounting pressure from both inside and outside to reform following a series of scandals involving bribes, sex and abuse of power.

The elite law enforcement agency, which wields exclusive rights to indictment in the country’s criminal justice system, has for years been resisting moves to put them in check. However, the latest cases seem to be forcing them to bend, observers said.

“The latest scandals were so embarrassing and made me think that we have passed the point of no return. We have no option but to reform ourselves,” Yoon Dae-hae, a prosecutor at Seoul Southern District Public Prosecutors’ Office, wrote in a message posted on the prosecution’s internal bulletin board. 

Hundreds of anonymous postings, lamenting the fallen state of the law enforcement authority and demanding reform, have inundated the board, but he was the first to write, not withdrawing his name.

The call for self-reform has been sparked by two scandals. 
 
In one of the two, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said Sunday it filed for an arrest warrant against a trainee, who is accused of receiving sex favors from a female suspect, on bribery charges. The 30-year-old trainee allegedly engaged in sexual acts with a theft suspect in her 40s while questioning her earlier this month. A few days later, he allegedly had sex with her in a nearby motel.

In a separate case, a high-ranking prosecutor has been arrested on allegations that he received around 900 million won ($829,000) from one of the nation’s biggest pyramid schemes and Eugene Group, a construction-based conglomerate.

Stung by scandals, Prosecutor-General Han Sang-dae has pledged drastic self-reform measures. The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office is expected to announce them on Dec. 7.

“We’re open to all reform measures (suggested by politicians and experts), including the closure of the Central Investigative Department of the Supreme Public Prosecutors’ Office,” Han told reporters last week.

It was the first time that the chief prosecutor hinted at the possibility of dismantling the all-powerful unit which has handled most high-profile cases involving presidents and chaebol.

Aside from doing away with the CID, opposition parties are calling for the creation of a new unit to deal with crimes committed by high-ranking public officials, including prosecutors.

The ruling party’s reform plan includes changing the special counsel system into a standing organization. Currently, an independent counsel can be appointed to investigate a case only when the parliament votes to do so.

By Lee Sun-young (milaya@heraldcorp.com)