The senior presidential secretary for civil affairs stressed that a separate body to investigate high-level public officials, including prosecutors, accused of corruption must be set up during President Moon Jae-in’s term. 

Cho Kuk made the remark on Friday after more than 303-thousand people signed an online petition on the presidential office Web site calling for rival camps to pursue the establishment of the investigative body. The online petition was posted in January after Cho stressed via social media the need to revise related laws in order to revamp the prosecution.

Cho said the issue now awaits a response from the National Assembly. 

The secretary noted that prosecutors have the power to indict, investigate and command police investigations with no oversight. He said a separate investigative body would make it possible to keep prosecutors in check.

Setting up a separate body to probe high-level civil servants was one of Moon’s key campaign pledges. Bills urging for the body’s establishment have been submitted since the 16th National Assembly, but have all failed to pass.