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South Korean Parliament Passes Overhaul to Abolish Prosecutor’s Office and Restructure Ministries

The ruling party used its majority to cut off a filibuster despite opposition warnings of constitutional risks.

Rep. Park Soo-min of the main opposition People Power Party speaks in front of a nearly empty plenary session at the National Assembly in Seoul on Sept. 25, 2025, during a filibuster to block the passage of a government reorganization bill. (Yonhap)
Lawmakers vote on the revision to the Government Organization Act at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Sept. 26, 2025. (Yonhap)
In this file photo, lawmakers of the main opposition People Power Party leave the main hall of the National Assembly in western Seoul on Aug. 25, 2025. (Yonhap)
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Overview

  • The amendment to the Government Organization Act passed 174–1 with five abstentions after the People Power Party boycotted the vote.
  • The Prosecutor’s Office will be phased out over a one-year grace period, with a new serious crimes investigation agency under the Interior Ministry and an indictment office under the Justice Ministry.
  • Budget planning shifts from the Economy and Finance Ministry to a new Planning and Budget Office under the prime minister, and the environment portfolio expands to a renamed Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment that takes over energy policy.
  • Proposed restructuring of the Financial Services Commission was removed from the plan following opposition objections and a ruling party retreat.
  • The acting prosecution chief publicly warned that abolishing a constitutionally referenced office could be unlawful, reinforcing the opposition’s challenge to the process.