Defense ministry aligns military rules with new prosecution system

The defense ministry said Friday it has revised four of its directives to reflect the launch of a new criminal justice system that separates investigation from indictment, with the changes taking effect the same day.

Under the amendment, references to the prosecution service in the forms attached to the Military Personnel Disaster Compensation Act enforcement rules now read "public prosecution office." The revision, issued as Ministry of National Defense Ordinance No. 1229, adjusts terminology across four ministry directives tied to investigative and prosecutorial bodies.

The changes follow the abolition of the prosecution service and the establishment of two new agencies: the Public Prosecution Office under the justice minister and the Serious Crime Investigation Bureau under the interior minister. An amended Criminal Procedure Act also took effect the same day, completing the legal basis for the separation.

The revision is part of a broader government-wide effort to bring agency rules into line with the new system. The labor ministry enacted investigative rules for labor inspectors to take effect on the same day, and the Korea Forest Service issued guidance on the amended criminal procedure law.

Kim Min-jae, an interior vice minister who heads the preparatory team for the new investigation bureau, said the team is working to open the agency without any gap in investigative work. "We will do our utmost," he said, adding that the team is putting in place the office space, budget and other operating foundations for the launch.