President Lee: reform plan open to multiple revisions

Mar 17, 2026, 10:03 am

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President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office on March 10. / Courtesy of Yonhap News

President Lee Jae-myung said Tuesday that the prosecution reform plan agreed upon between the ruling party and the government can be revised multiple times if necessary, stressing that excessive reform should be avoided.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Lee stated, “If the agreement reached through party-government consultations falls within the scope necessary to exclude prosecutorial investigations, it can be revised even 10 times through further consultations.”

Lee also said he had instructed the government to remove provisions allowing prosecutors to direct special judicial police or intervene in ongoing investigations.

“At the same time, separating investigation and prosecution and excluding prosecutorial investigative authority are clear national policy goals that will be firmly pursued,” he said. “However, unnecessary excess that creates obstacles to reform must be avoided.”

His remarks are widely interpreted as addressing concerns raised by hardliners within the ruling bloc over proposed bills to establish a Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and a Public Prosecution Office.

Earlier this month, after the government submitted revised bills to the National Assembly, Lee posted a series of messages emphasizing accountability in reform and the need to balance reform with national unity.

At a dinner meeting with 34 first-term lawmakers from the Democratic Party on March 15, Lee was also reported to have downplayed concerns over terminology, asking, “What is the problem with the title of prosecutor general?” and urging lawmakers to “deliver the changes that the people want.”

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