Justice Ministry to Fully Reconsider National Digital Forensics Center Expansion

South Korea’s Justice Ministry said it will fully reconsider a planned expansion of the National Digital Forensics Center as the government prepares to launch separate prosecution and major-crime investigation agencies.

The ministry said the project had been pursued since 2021 because the existing building, completed in 2008, had aged, while forensic personnel and equipment had reached capacity. Safety and international forensic standards were also among the factors behind the plan.

“

The expansion project has been pursued since 2021, taking into account the aging of the existing building completed in 2008, the capacity limits of forensic personnel and physical equipment, safety, and international standards for forensic examinations.

It said the project had continued according to its existing schedule without fully considering the separation of investigation and prosecution or plans to relocate government agencies to Sejong. The ministry now plans to reassess whether the project should proceed.

The review also reflects plans to transfer major-crime field forensic functions to the new major-crime investigation agency. The ministry said the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s forensic department would be abolished and reorganized into a smaller three-division office under a deputy chief prosecutor-level director, rather than its current four-division structure led by a chief prosecutor-level official.

“

The project will be fully reconsidered.