Interior ministry rewrites civil defense rule as prosecution service closes

The interior ministry said Friday it has revised its enforcement rule for the Framework Act on Civil Defense, replacing references to the prosecution service with the new prosecution office and creating the post of regional prosecution office chief, as part of a sweeping overhaul of six ministry decrees.

The change follows the abolition of the prosecution service and the establishment of the prosecution office under the justice minister and the serious crime investigation bureau under the interior minister. The two enabling laws — the Prosecution Office Act and the Act on the Establishment and Operation of the Serious Crime Investigation Bureau — were promulgated on March 24 and took effect on Oct. 2. The revision is a type of amendment that changes only the references to one law that another law has superseded.

Under the amended rule, a new provision defines the head of a regional prosecution office. The revision took effect Friday, the same day the underlying laws took effect.

The civil defense rule is one of six interior ministry decrees revised together to clean up references to the now-defunct prosecution service after the reorganization of the country's investigative bodies. The ministry published the batch revision as Ordinance No. 648.

Kim Min-jae, the interior ministry's vice minister and head of the preparatory team for the launch of the serious crime investigation bureau, said the government will keep working with relevant agencies to support the bureau's launch.

"The government will continue to cooperate closely with relevant agencies to support the launch and settlement of the bureau," Kim said. "We will do our best so that it can investigate fairly and effectively in accordance with the law and principles and establish itself as a capable and trusted professional investigative agency that protects people's lives."