DistantNews
Support us
🇰🇷 South Korea /Crime & Justice

Democratic Party to pass bill abolishing prosecutors' supplementary investigation rights next week

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • The Democratic Party plans to process a bill to completely abolish prosecutors' supplementary investigation rights as early as next week.
  • Party leader Han Byung-do stated that separating investigation and prosecution is a fundamental principle of prosecutorial reform, with no internal disagreement.
  • The party aims to finalize the amendment before the August 17 party convention, reinforcing the prosecutor's request for supplementary investigation and protecting victims' rights.

South Korea's Democratic Party is moving to finalize legislation that would completely abolish prosecutors' supplementary investigation rights, with plans to process the bill as early as next week. This move aims to quickly resolve the ongoing debate surrounding these rights ahead of the party's August 17 convention.

Prosecutors do not investigate; this is the starting point of prosecutorial reform that separates investigation and prosecution, and there is no internal disagreement on this principle.

— Han Byung-doEmphasizing the party's unified stance on prosecutorial reform.

Party leader Han Byung-do emphasized that the principle of separating investigation and prosecution is the starting point for prosecutorial reform and that there is no internal dissent on this core tenet. He stated, "The discussion has sufficiently matured. Now is the time to unite the party's general will." Han warned that compromising on reform would merely change the prosecutor's office's name to a "prosecution office" while leaving the essence of prosecutorial power intact.

The discussion has sufficiently matured. Now is the time to unite the party's general will. Reform always faces resistance. If we compromise here, the prosecutor's office will only change its name to a prosecution office, but the essence of prosecutorial power will remain.

— Han Byung-doArguing for the immediate passage of the reform bill.

Initially, the party had indicated a period of deliberation after a bill proposing partial retention of supplementary investigation rights was introduced. However, within a week, they decided on complete abolition, likely influenced by the issue becoming a key point of contention in the upcoming party convention. To mitigate potential side effects, the party plans to strengthen the prosecutor's right to request supplementary investigations.

We will clarify responsibility to ensure that investigative agencies promptly and faithfully fulfill such requests.

— Han Byung-doExplaining measures to strengthen the prosecutor's request for supplementary investigations.

Han explained, "We will clarify responsibility to ensure that investigative agencies promptly and faithfully fulfill such requests." He also pledged to enhance victims' rights, including their right to file objections and access case records, as well as their right to legal assistance. The party is pushing to conclude the amendment within July, ideally during next week's plenary session, and no later than before the August convention.

The right to file objections and access case records, as well as the right to legal assistance for victims, will also be more robustly guaranteed.

— Han Byung-doDetailing protections for victims' rights.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog