SEOUL, Sept. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — In the process of investigation and trial of criminal cases, paper documents are expected to disappear in 2024.
The Ministry of Justice announced that new legislation that requires e-documents to be used in criminal judicial procedures had passed the National Assembly’s plenary session.
Unlike procedures for patents, and civil and administrative litigation that have already been digitalized, the procedures in criminal litigation and investigations have continuously relied on inefficient paper documents.
Under the new legislation, however, e-documents will have the same standing as paper documents in the criminal judicial process.
Each law enforcement agency will be required to write and exchange e-documents using e-signatures in principle during the investigation and trial procedures. Even the paper documents submitted by related parties will also be digitalized through scanning.
Accordingly, it will become easier for defendants and lawyers to read and print evidence records from electronic devices such as computers.
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