DP leader vows sweeping reform of prosecution

(LEAD)SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- Opposition leader Sohn Hak-kyu pledged Wednesday to carry through a series of measures to reform the prosecution, including scrapping a powerful investigation unit, accusing prosecutors of politically oriented, biased probes.
Reforming the prosecution has emerged as a hot political issue in South Korea after a parliamentary judicial reform subcommittee passed a proposal last week to scrap the Central Investigation Unit at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office that has handled big corruption cases.
Prosecutors strongly opposed the move, claiming that such a special investigation team is necessary to look into high-profile corruption cases vulnerable to outside pressure and accusing lawmakers of attempting to disband the team to block its probe into a widening corruption scandal involving savings banks.
"Although prosecutors oppose the scrapping of the department under the flag of clearing massive ills, biased investigations swayed by power are very massive ills of our society," said Sohn, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, in a radio address.



As part of reform measures, Sohn said he will also work to establish an independent investigation unit tasked with cracking down on wrongdoing among judges and to give police more power to carry out probes.
"I warn the prosecution against misleading the people to think that the Central Investigation Unit is the whole body of the prosecution," Sohn said. "The discussions on judicial reform should be left to the legislative branch."
He also urged the prosecution to get to the bottom of the savings banks scandal without political considerations.
The scandal has jolted the nation for months. It centers on allegations that ailing savings banks sought the influence of high-level officials or politicians to avoid punishment for extending illegal loans and other financial irregularities.