Rep. Jung Chung-rae, chairman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), said the National Assembly will vote on the remaining two bills of the so-called “judiciary trio” Thursday. The trio refers to the Serious Crime Investigation Agency (SCIA) Act, the Public Prosecution Office (PPO) Act and an amendment to the Criminal Law, better known as the Law Distortion Act. The latter took effect March 12, following its passage at the National Assembly earlier this month. These packaged acts have sparked controversy over what critics describe as draconian measures targeting the judiciary and prosecution. The SCIA and PPO acts are intended to rebalance power within law enforcement. If enacted, they would significantly restrict prosecutorial authority in the name of preventing abuse of power, while expanding the role of nonprofessional investigators — so-called special judicial officers. Special judicial officers are government officials with expertise in specific fields, such as labor inspectors and specialists in environmental, drug and food safety issues. While they possess deep know