Criminal Procedures in Korea

The following are a copied version of the webpage from the Korean Prosecutors Office.

1.      Initiation

Investigation is initiated upon discovery of the possibility that a crime may have been committed. The ultimate responsibility in all investigative procedures is in the hands of the prosecutor. Based on evidence collected by prosecutors (or police officers under the prosecutors' direction), prosecutors assess the validity of the judgment that a crime has occurred, and take appropriate measures upon this ascertainment.

2.     Booking, Arrest & Detention

Booking denotes the formation of a criminal case after initiation. An individual subject to investigation becomes a criminal suspect once a criminal charge has been determined by the investigation agency. In principle, prosecutors or police officers must obtain a warrant issued by a judge to arrest a suspect; however, there exist exceptions to these warrant requirements in cases that necessitate "Emergency Arrest" and "Arrest of Flagrant Offender". The prosecutor may detain the arrested suspect with a warrant of detention issued by the judge upon request by the prosecutor within 48 hours from the time of arrest. A suspect may request a preliminary hearing prior to detention, and an arrested or detained suspect may request a review of legality to the court. Through such process, the suspect may be released.

3.     Prosecution

Suspects are indicted in cases when there is a prosecutor’s decision that such suspects must stand trial. On the other hand, prosecutors may dismiss a case without indictment. The ground such as ambiguous location of the suspect, in which case further proceedings are unfeasible, will lead to a stay of prosecution.

4.     Trial and Sentencing

A judge hears trial upon motions filed by prosecutors. Sentencing occurs when defendants are found guilty of their charges. The punishment may include death penalty, imprisonment, fine, etc.