July 13 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s prosecution service is losing many of its most experienced personnel less than three months before the institution is abolished and replaced under the government’s prosecutorial reform program.

Although the overall number of prosecutors has increased, resignations and assignments to special counsel investigations have left the organization increasingly dependent on newly appointed and junior prosecutors.

Asia Today analyzed staffing levels, vacancies and outside assignments at 60 district prosecutors’ offices nationwide, excluding the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office and high prosecutors’ offices. The analysis updated reviews conducted Jan. 1 and April 22.

The number of prosecutors assigned to the 60 offices increased by 127, from 1,746 on April 22 to 1,873 as of July 1.

The staffing rate compared with the authorized number of positions rose from 83.2% to 89.4%.

Twenty-seven offices, or 45% of the total, added prosecutors. They included the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office.

Thirty-two offices, or 53.3%, maintained their previous staffing levels. The Mokpo branch of the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office was the only office to report a decline, falling from 13 prosecutors to 12.

Those figures suggest that staffing has stabilized over the past three months. The composition of the workforce, however, shows a different trend.

Most departing prosecutors were veterans

Eighty prosecutors left the organization between Jan. 1 and July 1, a number nearly equal to the Daegu District Prosecutors’ Office’s authorized staff of 81.

Sixty-two of those who resigned, or 77.5%, had at least 11 years of experience.

Nine departing prosecutors had fewer than five years of experience and another nine had between five and 10 years.

New appointments helped maintain the overall workforce, but they did not replace the experience of prosecutors who had supervised major cases and trained junior colleagues.

Prosecutors with about 10 years of experience form the operational core of the organization. They handle their own cases while supervising younger prosecutors and coordinating important investigations and trials.

As of July 1, the largest experience group consisted of 601 prosecutors with fewer than five years on the job. Another 503 had between five and 10 years of experience, while only 197 had served for at least 11 years.

Junior prosecutors generally change assignments every two years.

During their first two years, they handle a broad range of cases. In their third and fourth years, they are commonly assigned to smaller regional offices to build practical experience.

Prosecutors with five or six years of experience begin taking more substantial positions in criminal divisions at major offices such as those in Suwon and Busan and assume responsibility for more significant cases.

Special counsel assignments deepen shortages

Assignments to special counsel investigations are also reducing the number of experienced prosecutors available for ordinary criminal cases.

As of July 1, 22 prosecutors had been assigned to the special counsel investigation into allegations of insurrection. Nineteen were working on the investigation involving former first lady Kim Keon Hee and six were assigned to the investigation into the death of a Marine.

Two prosecutors had been assigned to investigations involving confiscated cash wrappers and e-commerce company Coupang, while 14 were working with a second comprehensive special counsel investigation.

The five teams accounted for 63 prosecutors.

When additional assignments to Justice Ministry investigations and a joint police-prosecution team investigating ballot shortages are included, nearly 100 prosecutors have been removed from their regular duties.

The situation has raised concerns that regional offices will have greater difficulty handling crimes directly affecting the public and transferring investigative experience to younger personnel.

Ministry accelerates recruitment

The Justice Ministry is increasing recruitment to fill vacancies at district prosecutors’ offices.

A ministry official said 48 prosecutors with previous legal experience were assigned to local offices June 29 after the government expanded recruitment and accelerated the selection process.

The ministry also plans to place newly appointed prosecutors who completed military legal service and those who passed the 15th national bar examination at district offices in October.

Prosecutors inside the organization said new appointments alone cannot correct the structural imbalance.

“Continuing to appoint new prosecutors can help fill immediate vacancies, but it cannot replace midlevel prosecutors who have accumulated years of investigative and trial experience,” a deputy chief prosecutor at a Seoul-area office said.

“What matters is creating an environment in which experienced prosecutors can remain in the organization,” the official said. “Unless working conditions and organizational stability improve enough to prevent further departures, the same problem will continue.”

South Korea’s current prosecution service is scheduled to be abolished Oct. 2.

It will be replaced by a prosecution office under the Justice Ministry and a separate serious crimes investigation agency under the Interior and Safety Ministry. The restructuring is intended to separate criminal investigations from decisions on whether to prosecute.

The continuing departure of experienced prosecutors, however, is raising questions about how much institutional knowledge will survive the transition.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

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