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Source: Ministry of Employment and Labor

With prosecutors' investigative oversight authority set to be abolished under the revised Criminal Procedure Act taking effect in October, the government will provide specialized training to 890 labor supervision managers. The move aims to strengthen managers' capabilities in preparation for a system where labor inspectors will independently judge and take responsibility for the entire investigation process.

Under the change, labor inspectors will directly handle cases involving unpaid wages, industrial accidents, and unfair labor practices without needing direction from prosecutors. There are currently 5,899 labor inspectors nationwide, making them the largest group among Korea's special judicial police. That number is expected to grow to 7,349 next year and 8,031 by 2028.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 23rd that it will hold an "Investigation Leadership Workshop" for agency heads nationwide in Sejong on the 24th, unveiling its "Plan to Strengthen Labor Inspectors' Investigative Capabilities." The plan was developed to prepare labor inspectors to independently judge and take responsibility for the full investigation process, ahead of prosecutors losing their investigative direction authority under the revised Criminal Procedure Act in October.

The training will proceed in three directions: strengthening practical training before new inspectors are assigned to the field, improving investigative expertise for existing inspectors, and building a multi-layered investigation management system. This structure is designed so that labor inspectors gain case-handling capability even before field assignment, continue building expertise while on the job, and have investigation quality reinforced through the management system.

For new inspectors, 8 of the 12 weeks of the training curriculum will be run as a practice-focused "investigation school," restructuring what had previously been general, theory-oriented investigation training reliant on outside institutions like prosecutors and police into practical training specialized for labor cases. All inspectors must complete a basic course, while section chiefs and team leaders must complete an advanced course by September.

Training for managers will also proceed alongside this. Starting with the 49 agency heads attending this workshop, the ministry plans to hold 12 small-group discussion-style workshops for all 890 labor supervision managers before the law takes effect, strengthening their capacity to lead and manage investigations under the revised Criminal Procedure Act.

In preparation for the end of prosecutors' investigative oversight, the ministry also plans to share investigation and coaching case studies through regular meetings among section chiefs and team leaders at each regional office, and to form consultative bodies with prosecutors and police at the regional level. Officials with investigative experience will be prioritized for placement as heads of investigation-focused departments, such as serious accident investigation divisions.

On the personnel side, officials with investigative experience will be prioritized for appointment as heads of investigation-focused departments like serious accident investigation divisions, to help secure expertise.

Vice Minister of Employment and Labor Kwon Jang-jun said, "For every labor inspector to independently complete investigations, the entire organization needs to be prepared," adding, "We will support this through training and systems that raise both managers' investigative leadership and staff-level expertise together," and "We will establish the new investigation system in the field without disruption, building labor supervision administration the public can trust."

                                                                                                             Kim Bo-young