South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party and the government are actively considering a new name for a review unit planned inside the future prosecution service. The working title “Judicial Control Department” drew criticism from President Lee Jae Myung, who said the wording was inappropriate, and officials are now considering “Non-referral Case Review Department” instead.
The proposed unit is intended to review cases that police close without referral to prosecutors. The change under discussion is therefore about how the new body is framed rather than a reversal of the underlying review function. The Justice Ministry is also maintaining its position on prosecutor staffing as the broader institutional redesign continues.
The same party-government meeting covered other criminal-justice and public-safety changes. Participants agreed to pursue dedicated missing-person investigation teams within the National Police Agency and regional police organizations, while also moving more quickly on legislation concerning missing adults. The next step is whether the new unit name is formally adopted as the prosecution-system reorganization moves from design into implementation.