Over 30 pct of arrest warrant requests rejected by prosecutors this year: data

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SEOUL, Oct. 4 (Yonhap) -- The proportion of arrest warrants filed by police that were rejected by prosecutors surpassed 30 percent for the first time this year, data showed Sunday.

According to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS), police filed for a total of 26,961 requests for arrest warrants between January and August this year. Of them, 9,186, or 34.1 percent, were rejected by prosecutors.

It marked the first time the rejection rate for arrest warrant requests exceeded 30 percent.

The rejection rate has trended upward since reaching 22.8 percent in 2021, rising to 26.8 percent in 2025.

Police investigators have complained that prosecutors have become reluctant to seek warrants requested by them amid a major overhaul of the prosecution, under which prosecutors were stripped of their investigative powers.

Last Friday, South Korea abolished the prosecution office for the first time after 78 years and launched two new agencies separating investigative and indictment powers amid long-standing criticism that the prosecution had wielded excessive authority.

The data also showed that prosecutors' rejection rate for police requests for search and seizure warrants stood at 19.1 percent during the cited period, sharply higher than the 10.7-13.7 percent range recorded between 2021 and 2025.

Workers remove the prosecution's emblem from a manhole cover at the Supreme Prosecutors Office on Sept. 29, 2026, ahead of the launch of the Public Prosecution Office on Oct. 2. (Yonhap)

julesyi@yna.co.kr (END)

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Over 30 pct of arrest warrant requests rejected by prosecutors this year: data

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首尔，10月4日（韩联社）——周日公布的数据显示，今年以来，警方发出的逮捕令被检察官驳回的比例首次超过30%。

据公共检察署（PPS）统计，今年1月至8月，警方共提交了26961份逮捕令申请。其中，9186份（占34.1%）被检察官驳回。

这是逮捕令申请驳回率首次超过 30%。

自 2021 年达到 22.8% 以来，拒绝率呈上升趋势，预计 2025 年将升至 26.8%。

警方调查人员抱怨说，在检控部门进行重大改革、剥夺检察官调查权之后，检察官变得不愿申请他们提出的搜查令。

上周五，韩国在78年后首次废除了检察机关，并成立了两个新的机构，将调查权和起诉权分开。此前，检察机关长期以来一直被批评权力过大。

数据显示，在上述期间，检察官对警方搜查和扣押令申请的驳回率高达 19.1%，远高于 2021 年至 2025 年间记录的 10.7% 至 13.7% 的范围。

2026年9月29日，在最高检察厅，工作人员正在拆除井盖上的检察机关标志，为10月2日即将成立的检察机关做准备。（韩联社）

julesyi@yna.co.kr (完)

（第三条）韩国推出缩减规模的检察机关和新的调查机构，进行重大改革

（LEAD）内阁批准检控改革法案，进行重大改革

李呼吁进行警务改革，以根除掩盖真相和调查中的违规行为。

数据显示，今年检察官驳回了超过30%的逮捕令申请。