Crime victims to gain stronger voice in investigations under police reform panel's recommendations

Crime victims will gain a stronger voice in criminal justice proceedings, with the right to submit opinions and evidence, receive legal assistance and challenge key investigative decisions — moving beyond their traditional role as passive recipients of state protection to become active participants in the process.

The Police Investigation Reform Committee for Enhancing Public Trust released the recommendations Monday, ahead of the Oct. 2 enforcement of an amended Code of Criminal Procedure that will fully abolish prosecutors' investigative authority, a change the panel warned could leave crime victims without adequate protection.

Committee Chairman Kim Nam-jun, speaking at a briefing at the Korean National Police Agency's Seoul office in Seodaemun, said victims had long been treated as subjects to be protected and supported by the state, but that the system must now go further. "We must guarantee crime victims the status and rights of genuine participants in criminal justice proceedings — with the ability to submit opinions and evidence in their own cases, receive legal assistance and challenge key decisions," he said.

Kim called for a fundamental institutional shift away from viewing crime victims solely as people to be protected, and toward guaranteeing them independent rights and participatory standing in criminal proceedings. "To that end, we recommend a full revision of the current Crime Victim Protection Act and amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure and related laws," he said.

The committee recommended expanding the public defender system for victims to provide continuous legal support from the earliest stage of a case through trial and recovery.

Currently, state-appointed legal counsel is available only to victims of specific serious crimes, including sexual violence, child abuse, abuse of people with disabilities, human trafficking, stalking, child prostitution and murder. The committee said that even for cases outside those categories, a fast-track referral process should be established so that victims facing risks such as retaliation can access a public defender from the outset.

The panel also recommended strengthening victim protection within the police organization itself — calling for greater investigative expertise in areas with high protection needs, such as crimes against women and children and relationship-based offenses. It urged the establishment of a dedicated victim protection unit spanning the Korean National Police Agency down to provincial police agencies and individual police stations, and called for a coordinated support network linking local governments and public institutions.

In addition, the committee recommended a blanket ban on case inquiries to prevent improper interference in investigations. The prohibition would extend beyond active police officers to outside parties including lawyers and other civil servants. Officers who receive such inquiries must report them immediately; failure to do so would make them subject to disciplinary action. Officers would also be barred from contacting parties to a case — including suspects, victims and complainants — for any purpose outside their official duties.

The Korean National Police Agency will run a one-month pilot of the "ban on case inquiries and private contact" system beginning Tuesday. During the pilot period, violations will be handled through verbal warnings and other corrective guidance to help establish the new rules.