The People Power Party has launched an all-out offensive to block the Democratic Party's legislation to abolish prosecutors' supplementary investigation authority. The party is spotlighting the necessity of prosecutorial supplementary investigations in the wake of the murder of a high school girl in Gwangju, while reportedly considering its own Criminal Procedure Act amendment that would retain the authority or include alternative mechanisms.
At a National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee session convened on the 8th under the ruling party's lead, the People Power Party strongly criticized the Democratic Party's push to amend the Criminal Procedure Act and urged it to withdraw the abolition of supplementary investigation authority. The Democratic Party plans to introduce a Criminal Procedure Act amendment abolishing the authority this week and pass it before its August party convention.
Appearing on the Maeil Shinmun's YouTube channel the same day, floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik said, "The prosecution's supplementary investigation authority is not a power of the prosecution but ultimately exists for the people. Under a criminal justice system without supplementary investigation authority, we will see a world where victims shed tears of blood." He added, "The Democratic Party must think of the victims and the people."
Citing the Gwangju high school girl murder case, Jeong stressed, "Prosecutors verified evidence that police had concealed, uncovered additional crimes, and were able to apply rape-murder charges. Punishment commensurate with the crime was possible because there was a supplementary investigation."
The party leadership joined the offensive. In a statement, chief spokesperson Park Sung-hoon said, "The truth of the Jang Yun-gi case came to light because of the prosecution's supplementary investigation. Supplementary investigation authority is not a vested privilege of the prosecution but the people's last safeguard against the unchecked dominance of police power." He added, "The Democratic Party is pushing ahead with the abolition of supplementary investigation authority while turning a blind eye to the public's shock and anger."
The People Power Party's floor leadership, viewing the Jang Yun-gi case as confirmation of the need for prosecutorial supplementary investigations, is also reportedly considering pursuing its own Criminal Procedure Act amendment that would either preserve the authority or include equivalent checking mechanisms in response to the Democratic Party's legislation.
Kim Mi-ae, senior deputy floor leader for policy, said the party would also review the special provisions for relatives under the Criminal Act's crimes of harboring offenders and destroying evidence, targeting cases in which employees of investigative agencies, such as police, use their official positions to cover up crimes committed by relatives. With the Democratic Party accelerating its prosecution reform legislation and the People Power Party mounting a legislative response, the standoff between the rival parties is expected to intensify further.
