Police have rebutted criticism by the nation’s top prosecutor of a series of fast-tracked reform bills aimed at enhancing police authority to conduct probes.

The Korean National Police Agency announced Thursday that the reforms have strengthened the prosecution's neutral and objective control over police investigations. 

The National Assembly recently fast-tracked a series of reform bills including one that would empower the police to initiate and close cases without approval from the prosecution.

In a statement on Wednesday, Prosecutor-General Moon Moo-il argued that the proposed reforms run counter to the democratic principle of checks and balances.

The police, however, claimed that under the reforms, each stage of the police investigation would be tightly controlled. 

They argued that they would be unable to unilaterally close a case since related individuals would be notified of the closure and the case remitted to the prosecution if objections to the closure are raised. 

They also claimed that the police won't have excessive power since prosecutors can get involved in police investigations at any time.