Supreme Court rewrites court officer hiring rule after prosecutors' office abolition

The Supreme Court said Tuesday it had amended its enforcement officer regulation to reflect the abolition of the prosecution service and the creation of a new prosecution office, changing the institutions named in the hiring rules for court staff. The revision, promulgated the same day by Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, took effect immediately.

The change centers on Article 21, Paragraph 2 of the Enforcement Officer Regulation, which sets out who may be hired as clerical staff by the representative enforcement officer of a local court. Where the provision previously required that a candidate have worked as a Grade 9 or higher public official at a court or the prosecution service, it now names the prosecution office, including its regional, district and district-branch offices.

The amendment follows the revision of the Government Organization Act, under which the prosecution service was abolished and the prosecution office established in its place. The hiring standard itself is unchanged: a candidate must have served as a Grade 9 or higher public official at a court or the new prosecution office, or be recognized as holding equivalent qualifications, and must be hired by the representative enforcement officer with the permission of the head of the relevant district court.

The revision also made minor wording adjustments to bring the regulation into line with Korean spelling and grammar standards, including adding a space in the article's title, which now reads "hiring, etc. of clerical staff."

The amendment was published as Supreme Court Rule No. 3296.