South Korea pre-announces decree creating Public Prosecution Service

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety has formally pre-announced the organization decree for the new Public Prosecution Service (공소청), the body that will replace the Prosecution Service under South Korea’s investigation-prosecution separation reform. The legislative notice, published in the Republic of Korea Official Gazette (관보) No. 21315 of 4 September 2026 as 행정안전부공고 제2026-1087호, sets out the structure and staffing of the central office and its metropolitan, regional and branch offices, and invites public comment until 9 September 2026.

The decree is issued under Article 41 of the Administrative Procedure Act and implements the legal framework that abolishes the Prosecution Service. The Government Organization Act was amended (Act No. 21065, promulgated 1 October 2025, effective 2 October 2026) to create the Public Prosecution Service under the Minister of Justice and the Major Crimes Investigation Service (중대범죄수사청) under the Minister of the Interior and Safety. It is accompanied by the enactment of the Public Prosecution Service Act (Act No. 21490) and the amendment of the Criminal Procedure Act (Act No. 21857), both effective 2 October 2026.

Staffing of the new service

The decree fixes the number of non-prosecutor civil servants across the new structure at about 6,120 posts, distributed as follows:

• Public Prosecution Service headquarters: 404 posts (1 senior civil service, 2 at grade 3 or 4, 396 at grade 4 or below, 5 professional career officers).
• Metropolitan, regional and branch offices: 5,716 posts (25 senior civil service, 16 at grade 3 or 4, 5,675 at grade 4 or below).

Central and metropolitan organization

The headquarters will house a spokesperson, a human-rights policy officer, a forensic-science planning officer, and the planning-coordination, criminal, public-safety, major-crime, trial-and-litigation and inspection divisions, together with a general affairs bureau.

The Seoul Metropolitan Public Prosecution Service will have criminal, trial, litigation and inspection divisions, with a secretariat comprising general affairs, case, litigation-affairs and management sections. The metropolitan offices in Suwon, Daejeon, Daegu, Busan and Gwangju will each have general affairs and case sections.

Regional and branch offices

The decree establishes 18 regional public prosecution services — Seoul Central, Seoul Eastern, Seoul Southern, Seoul Northern, Seoul Western, Uijeongbu, Incheon, Chuncheon, Suwon, Daejeon, Cheongju, Daegu, Busan, Ulsan, Changwon, Gwangju, Jeonju and Jeju — and 10 branch offices headed by a deputy chief prosecutor:

• Uijeongbu — Goyang branch
• Incheon — Bucheon branch
• Suwon — Seongnam, Ansan and Anyang branches
• Daejeon — Cheonan branch
• Daegu — Seobu branch
• Busan — Dongbu and Seobu branches
• Gwangju — Suncheon branch

In total, 60 regional public prosecution services and branch offices will be organized, with their divisions, secretariats and sections and their respective duties defined in the decree.

Public consultation

Interested institutions, organizations and individuals may submit opinions on the draft until 9 September 2026 through the National Participation Legislation Center (opinion.lawmaking.go.kr) or in writing to the Minister of the Interior and Safety. Details are available from the ministry’s legal-organization division (044-205-2397).

The decree is the core implementing measure of the investigation-prosecution separation reform, which is set to take effect on 2 October 2026. For citizens, it marks the practical shape of a justice system in which investigation and prosecution are institutionally separated, with the new service responsible for prosecution and trial support while the Major Crimes Investigation Service handles major criminal investigations.

Source: Republic of Korea Official Gazette (관보), No. 21315, 4 September 2026, Section I, p. 3 (official reference: 행정안전부공고 제2026-1087호).