A National Assembly subcommittee meeting on follow-up legislation to prosecution reform collapsed on the 16th after ruling party lawmakers openly clashed over the bills. Lawmakers within the Democratic Party of Korea raised strong objections as victim protection measures were weakened in the course of pursuing prosecution reform.
The Legislation and Judiciary Committee convened its first legislative review subcommittee on the 16th to examine 24 follow-up bills to the amended Criminal Procedure Act, including a partial revision to the Prosecutor Disciplinary Act.
The dispute arose during review of an amendment to the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes. The current law requires that statements and questioning processes be recorded on video for sexual violence victims under the age of 19, in order to prevent secondary harm from repeated testimony. The proposed amendment, however, includes an exception clause stating that video recordings made when a prosecutor conducts an interview would not be admissible as evidence.
Rep. Kim Nam-hee of the Democratic Party said video recording in prosecutors' offices is essential for victims under 19 and called for the amendment to be reviewed again. Rep. Park Eun-jung of the Rebuilding Korea Party responded that while she agreed with the intent, the governing principle is the abolition of prosecutors' investigative powers. Rep. Kim Yong-min of the Democratic Party also pushed back, saying that granting evidentiary value would require keeping investigative personnel at the prosecution service.
As Kim Nam-hee continued to press the issue, warning that victims' advocacy groups would object if the bill passed, Kim Yong-min and Park stormed out of the meeting room. Rep. Kim Eui-kyeom of the Democratic Party, who chairs the first subcommittee, then declared a recess, and the session ended in disarray.
After the breakdown, Kim Nam-hee renewed her criticism on Facebook, saying some lawmakers were making the absurd claim that the clause was necessary because of the overarching principle of prosecution reform. "What on earth does protecting sexual violence victims under 19 have to do with prosecution reform?" she asked. "Is inserting a forced clause that turns away from both the minimum principles of criminal justice procedure and the protection of victims really the spirit of the prosecution reform we talk about?"
