Nat'l Assembly passes bill on new serious crime investigation agency | Yonhap News Agency

## Summary
OK SEOUL, March 21 (Yonhap) -- The National Assembly on Saturday passed a prosecution reform bill led by the ruling Democratic Party (DP), laying the legal groundwork for a new serious crime investigation agency to be launched in October. Under the new framework, the indictment agency will handle only indictments, while investigative powers will be transferred to the newly established serious crimes investigation agency. The National Assembly in Seoul passes a bill on outlining the scope and operation of a new serious crime investigation agency during a plenary session on March 21, 2026. (Yonhap) ejkim@yna.co.kr (END) Related Articles Nat'l Assembly passes bill on new indictment agency (LEAD) Ruling party introduces key prosecution reform bill at plenary session, triggering filibuster from main opposition DP to push for plenary vote on prosecution reform bills this week Keywords #prosecution reform #bills Articles with issue keywords Most Liked Netflix, BTS to turn Seoul into world's 'biggest watch party' Four decades of Damien Hirst on display at MMCA, from shark to cherry blossoms (LEAD) FM Cho sidesteps questions on whether U.S. asked Seoul to send warships to Middle East Ex-U.S. officials voice concerns about Trump gov't 'vacating' deterrence assets from Indo-Pacific amid Iran war Korean Pavilion at Venice Biennale seeks comfort through art, with Han Kang's sculpture of blackened trees Most Saved Netflix, BTS to turn Seoul into world's 'biggest watch party' (LEAD) FM Cho sidesteps questions on whether U.S. asked Seoul to send warships to Middle East Four decades of Damien Hirst on display at MMCA, from shark to cherry blossoms Korean Pavilion at Venice Biennale seeks comfort through art, with Han Kang's sculpture of blackened trees Ex-U.S. officials voice concerns about Trump gov't 'vacating' deterrence assets from Indo-Pacific amid Iran war Most Viewed All Categories (LEAD) Downtown Seoul braces for massive crowd at BTS comeback concert (LEAD) S. Korea's Kim oversees combined drill involving battle tanks Gwanghwamun crowded as BTS set to hold concert prev Nat'l Assembly passes bill on new serious crime investigation agency Next Nat'l Assembly passes bill on new serious crime investigation agency

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SEOUL, March 21 (Yonhap) -- The National Assembly on Saturday passed a prosecution reform bill led by the ruling Democratic Party (DP), laying the legal groundwork for a new serious crime investigation agency to be launched in October.
The bill was approved in a 166-1 vote during a plenary session shortly after a 24-hour filibuster by the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) ended. PPP lawmakers boycotted the vote.
Under the bill, the new investigative body will be established under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and will be responsible for probing major crimes, including corruption, economic offenses, defense industry-related crimes, drug offenses, insurrection and cyber crimes.
The latest move came a day after the DP railroaded another bill aimed at stripping the prosecution of investigative authority and laying the legal groundwork for a new indictment agency.
The two bills are set to take effect in October, when the current prosecution service structure will be abolished as part of the government's push to separate the powers of investigation and indictment.
Under the new framework, the indictment agency will handle only indictments, while investigative powers will be transferred to the newly established serious crimes investigation agency.
The National Assembly in Seoul passes a bill on outlining the scope and operation of a new serious crime investigation agency during a plenary session on March 21, 2026. (Yonhap)
ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- The National Assembly in Seoul passes a bill on outlining the scope and operation of a new serious crime investigation agency during a plenary session on March 21, 2026. (Yonhap) ejkim@yna.co.kr (END) Related Articles Nat'l Assembly passes bill on new indictment agency (LEAD) Ruling party introduces key prosecution reform bill at plenary session, triggering filibuster from main opposition DP to push for plenary vote on prosecution reform bills this week Keywords #prosecution reform #bills Articles with issue keywords Most Liked Netflix, BTS to turn Seoul into world's 'biggest watch party' Four decades of Damien Hirst on display at MMCA, from shark to cherry blossoms (LEAD) FM Cho sidesteps questions on whether U.S. asked Seoul to send warships to Middle East Ex-U.S. officials voice concerns about Trump gov't 'vacating' deterrence assets from Indo-Pacific amid Iran war Korean Pavilion at Venice Biennale seeks comfort through art, with Han Kang's sculpture of blackened trees Most Saved Netflix, BTS to turn Seoul into world's 'biggest watch party' (LEAD) FM Cho sidesteps questions on whether U.S. asked Seoul to send warships to Middle East Four decades of Damien Hirst on display at MMCA, from shark to cherry blossoms Korean Pavilion at Venice Biennale seeks comfort through art, with Han Kang's sculpture of blackened trees Ex-U.S. officials voice concerns about Trump gov't 'vacating' deterrence assets from Indo-Pacific amid Iran war Most Viewed All Categories (LEAD) Downtown Seoul braces for massive crowd at BTS comeback concert (LEAD) S.

### Implications
- OK SEOUL, March 21 (Yonhap) -- The National Assembly on Saturday passed a prosecution reform bill led by the ruling Democratic Party (DP), laying the legal groundwork for a new serious crime investigation agency to be launched in October.
- Under the bill, the new investigative body will be established under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and will be responsible for probing major crimes, including corruption, economic offenses, defense industry-related crimes, drug offenses, insurrection and cyber crimes.
- The two bills are set to take effect in October, when the current prosecution service structure will be abolished as part of the government's push to separate the powers of investigation and indictment.
- Under the new framework, the indictment agency will handle only indictments, while investigative powers will be transferred to the newly established serious crimes investigation agency.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers bill, seoul, agency topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 563.