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President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a meeting with senior aides held at the Blue House on the 1st. / Yonhap News

President Lee Jae-myung called for robust police reform on the 1st, on the eve of the launch of the Public Prosecution Office and the Serious Crime Investigation Agency.

Presiding over a meeting with senior aides at the Blue House on the day, President Lee stated, "Tomorrow marks the official launch of the Public Prosecution Office and the Serious Crime Investigation Agency," adding, "The flawed era in which the prosecution wielded unchecked authority by monopolizing investigation and indictment, acting as a 'political prosecution' to eliminate and suppress political opponents, has come to an end, ushering in a new criminal justice system rooted in the principles of checks and balances."

President Lee evaluated, "Prosecution reform—seeded under the Participatory Government and shaped under the Moon Jae-in administration—bears fruit under this sovereign people's administration," noting, "Following the civilian control of the military and the depoliticization of intelligence agencies, this will be recorded as a new chapter in the history of reforming South Korea's power institutions."

He went on to state, "With the redistribution of authority, police reform will henceforth stand as a major task for our administration."

President Lee emphasized, "The police bear a heavier responsibility than ever before," stressing, "As their authority expands, strict external oversight and internal self-purification must follow."

He continued, "In particular, robust and substantive reform measures are required to ensure that concerns held by the public—such as the burying of cases or investigative corruption—cannot even be contemplated."

Furthermore, President Lee urged, "It is more vital to ensure that the institutional framework takes deep root in daily life and sustains a just social order," calling for every effort to "prevent innocent citizens from suffering wrongful harm during the settlement of the new system, leaving no room for lapses in investigative capabilities, fairness, or victim protection."

He affirmed, "The sovereign people's administration will steadfastly fulfill the historic calling of irreversible prosecution reform while accelerating reforms across society centered on our three core social policies."

                                                                                                             Hong Sun-mi