With 46 Remaining Cases in Hand, Work Begins on Designing the Insurrection Special Investigation Unit

Work has begun at the presidential office to design a separate body tasked with follow-up investigations into the insurrection case.

According to Yonhap News, President Lee Jae-myung is reviewing the affiliation and operational structure of a follow-up agency that would handle the remaining insurrection investigations after the special prosecutor's probe. The key issues are whether the new body should be placed under the prosecution or the police, and how its independence would be secured. The presidential office's proposed plan is an "Insurrection Special Investigation Headquarters," informally known as the Insurrection Special Unit.

Why a Follow-Up Investigation Body Is Needed

The background lies in the limitations of the special prosecutor's investigation. According to Yonhap, 46 remaining cases handed over by the second Kwon Chang-young special prosecution team are currently pending with the police. Because special prosecution teams operate on a temporary basis, restrictions on the duration and scope of investigations are inevitable. Concerns that handing the transferred cases over to existing investigative agencies could sever the continuity of organized, systematic investigations led to the idea of a follow-up body.

The Board of Audit and Inspection's moves are also intertwined. The audit agency recently sent part of its audit findings on the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections to the special prosecutor dealing with the National Election Commission as reference material for investigation, requesting a swift probe. If investigative materials are scattered across different agencies, coordination costs rise. The follow-up body is interpreted as a plan to consolidate these dispersed investigative caseloads and materials through a single channel.

Design Issues and Ruling-Opposition Conflict

At the center of the debate is the question of the body's affiliation. If placed under the prosecution, it could leverage the existing organization's investigative infrastructure, but for the ruling party, which has pushed for prosecutorial reform, doubts could arise over the prosecution's political neutrality. On the other hand, placing it under the National Police Agency would require institutional support such as new organizational posts and staffing.

The opposition's resistance has already surfaced. The People Power Party has criticized the Insurrection Special Unit plan, calling it an attempt to intimidate Prosecutor General Cho Han-chang. The opposition's position is that establishing a separate body after the special prosecution would function as a duplicative mechanism and could translate into political pressure on the prosecution. Given the wide gap in perception between the ruling and opposition parties, if the body's design requires legislative amendments, negotiations in the National Assembly are expected to be difficult.

Operational Structure and the Future Direction of the Investigation's Scope

The operational structure under review at the presidential office is expected to be tailored to the nature of the 46 remaining cases. The pending cases likely involve not only investigations of key suspects but also work to determine the scale of those involved and the connections among cases. Since the cases transferred from the special prosecution are mostly at the consolidation and wrap-up stage rather than the preliminary investigation stage, some analysts argue that a small, specialized organization composed of dedicated prosecutors and experienced police officers would be the most efficient approach.

The key lies not in the body's name or affiliation, but in establishing an institutional mechanism capable of taking full responsibility for seeing the cases the special prosecutor could not handle through to the end.

Legislative Process and Political Timeline Outlook

The timeline will vary significantly depending on whether the new body can be created through organizational restructuring alone or requires new legal grounds. Some observers say launch is possible within this year if it only requires revising the organizational regulations of the National Police Agency and the Ministry of Justice, but codifying its independence and powers in law would require the legislative process in the National Assembly.

If legislation is needed, bipartisan agreement will be the deciding factor. As long as the People Power Party's opposition continues, passage of the bill will inevitably be delayed. In that case, the government is expected to adopt a dual strategy: launching the body first through organizational restructuring while pursuing legislation to strengthen its powers separately. Whichever path is chosen, a concrete blueprint for the follow-up body is expected to be unveiled soon.