Labor ministry to sharply boost investigative capacity of labor inspectors ahead of prosecutorial reform

The Ministry of Employment and Labor will sharply strengthen the investigative capabilities of its labor inspectors amid the upcoming abolition of prosecutors' investigative oversight authority under a revised Criminal Procedure Act set to take effect in October.

New labor inspectors will be required to handle simulated cases modeled on real investigations, while serving inspectors will be required to complete criminal law training. The ministry will also establish an internal investigative command structure running from team and section chiefs up to agency heads.

The ministry announced Sunday that it will hold an "investigative command workshop" for agency heads nationwide in Sejong on Monday, at which it will unveil its plan to strengthen labor inspectors' investigative capacity.

The overhaul is a preparatory measure ahead of the revised Criminal Procedure Act taking effect in October. With prosecutors losing their investigative oversight authority, the ministry said there is a growing need to strengthen inspectors' professional expertise and internal command structure so they can independently exercise judgment and take responsibility throughout the entire investigative process.

The revamped training system centers on three pillars: building investigative expertise among new inspectors, strengthening it among serving inspectors, and establishing a multilayered investigative management structure.

For new inspectors, eight of the 12 weeks in their training program will be devoted to a hands-on "investigation school." The new format was first applied to 206 new inspectors who enrolled in May and have already completed the program.

The investigation school is designed to give trainees direct experience of real investigative procedures so they can be deployed to the field immediately upon completion. Using 34 simulated cases developed by dedicated faculty who analyzed about 3.16 million actual reported cases, trainees handle every stage of a case themselves — from intake through preliminary inquiry, full investigation and case closure.

The investigation school recorded an average satisfaction score of 4.6 out of 5. The ministry deployed all newly trained inspectors to the field on July 27 and is supporting their transition through one-on-one mentoring over 12 weeks.

Training for serving inspectors will also shift from a theory-focused approach to one centered on hands-on practice and specialized techniques. Investigative training that had previously relied on outside institutions and was offered mainly to volunteers will be brought in-house under the ministry's own training system.

The ministry launched a customized online criminal law course for all inspectors last month, and section and team chiefs are required to complete an advanced course by September.

A case-study practicum will also be introduced, in which participants use actual investigative records to analyze every stage of an investigation — from inquiry and evidence gathering to legal review and judgment. The course is currently being co-developed with the industry-academic cooperation foundation of the Korean National Police University. The ministry plans to pilot a standard curriculum by year's end before expanding it to cover major issues such as unfair labor practices and illegal dispatch.

Training in specialized investigative techniques — including compulsory investigation, interview and interrogation, and digital forensics — will also be significantly expanded.

The ministry will also restructure its internal investigative management system in response to the abolition of prosecutorial oversight. Under a three-tier command and cooperation structure, team and section chiefs will directly oversee individual cases, while agency heads will coordinate overall caseloads and collaborate with prosecutors.

Mid-level managers will serve as issue managers, taking charge of investigative command documentation and handling case record reviews, supplementary instructions, referral opinion reviews and follow-up coaching. Agency heads will establish the investigative command structure within their jurisdictions and reconcile inconsistencies in judgment across departments.

Cooperation with prosecutors will also be strengthened. The ministry plans to consult with prosecutors from the early stages of cases requiring legal advice and to standardize coordination procedures for cases involving multiple agencies.

Separate training will be conducted for managers. Starting with 49 agency heads on Monday, the ministry will hold 12 rounds of small-group discussion-style workshops for all 890 managers before the law takes effect. The sessions will use real investigative command cases to examine step-by-step improvements covering everything from determining the direction of an investigation to reviewing evidence and maintaining charges.

The ministry also plans to form consultative bodies with prosecutors and police at each regional office, and to prioritize the placement of personnel with investigative experience as heads of investigation-dedicated units such as serious accident investigation divisions during personnel rotations.

"The entire organization must be ready for every labor inspector to achieve independent investigative completeness," Deputy Minister Kwon Chang-jun said. "We will provide the training and systems needed to raise both the investigative leadership of managers and the expertise of frontline staff."