Hundreds of rank-and-file prosecutors gathered on Tuesday and expressed their concerns over the ruling Democratic Party’s push for prosecutorial reform bills aimed at depriving the prosecution from its investigative powers.

The meeting at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office on Tuesday evening was attended by a total of 207 lower-ranking prosecutors representing over 60 regional prosecution district offices around the nation, marking the first national meeting of junior prosecutors in 19 years.

With the session held in an open discussion format, some prosecutors argued that the related bills, if passed, could infringe on the right of access to the courts as guaranteed under the Constitution and violate the principle of due legal process.

Some others argued that separation of the powers to indict and investigate does not accord with a global standard and that the investigative authority is necessary to properly exercise the right to indict.

Some even expressed concerns over Prosecutor-General Kim O-su’s unofficial proposal to enact a special law to guarantee the political neutrality of the prosecution as an alternative to the DP’s bills, saying such a law would actually damage the prosecution’s political neutrality by making it subject to parliament. Measures to enhance fairness of investigations were also discussed.

Meanwhile, senior prosecutors from district offices nationwide also plan to gather to discuss the bills on Wednesday night.