The prosecution has vowed to sternly deal with the so-called “surprise deposit” for the plaintiff by the defendant in criminal cases ahead of sentencing without the consent of the victim.

The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office (SPO) said on Sunday that it has ordered prosecutors’ offices to take measures to deal with abuse of a system that allows a defendant on trial in a criminal case to make a deposit for a plaintiff even if the defendant does not know the victim's personal information or contact information.

The system was introduced to prevent a defendant from using illegal means to find out the victim's personal information to pressure or threaten to reach a settlement.

However, there has been criticism about the system, as some defendants abuse the system to make a surprise deposit for the victim after the conclusion of court proceedings so that the plaintiff cannot raise objections to the deposit in an attempt to reduce their sentence.

To address the abusive cases, the SPO proposed that prosecutors request postponement of sentencing or reopening of legal proceedings, swiftly confirm the victim’s opinions on the deposit and present them to court, and ask the court to carefully render a sentence.