Democrats clash over prosecutors' investigation rights

A growing rift is emerging within South Korea's Democratic Party as some members advocate for a more cautious stance on abolishing prosecutors' supplementary investigation rights. This shift has ignited fierce opposition from the faction loyal to former party leader Jeong Cheong-rae, highlighting internal conflict over the direction of prosecutorial reform.

Moon Jeong-bok, a supreme council member, voiced concerns on Facebook, stating that "moves to obscure the purpose of abolishing supplementary investigation rights or effectively backtrack" are visible within the party. She warned that "if the reform of the prosecution is shaken or derailed again due to conflicting interests and arguments within the party, the Democratic Party will bear a great responsibility before history."

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Moves to obscure the purpose of abolishing supplementary investigation rights or effectively backtrack are visible within the party.

Lee Seong-yoon, a former supreme council member, echoed this sentiment, urging colleagues not to be deceived. "No matter what you call it – 'supplementary,' 'reduction,' or 'alternative' – leaving any investigative power with the prosecution amounts to a failure of prosecutorial reform," he argued.

During a party meeting, at least ten lawmakers, including Hong Ki-won, who proposed a bill to allow exceptional supplementary investigation rights for prosecutors, publicly stated the need for caution. Choi Min-hee, another lawmaker, critically assessed Hong's bill, calling it a "bill to preserve the prosecution's investigative powers."

The internal discord has spilled onto social media, with supporters of Jeong Cheong-rae pressuring lawmakers who signed Hong's bill. Comments on social media posts have included calls for "election boycotts" and threats of "removing them during candidate nominations."

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If the reform of the prosecution is shaken or derailed again due to conflicting interests and arguments within the party, the Democratic Party will bear a great responsibility before history.

One lawmaker involved in the bill expressed concern about being targeted, telling Hankyoreh, "Many aggressive comments are being posted on Facebook, and I've been receiving many texts questioning the bill since yesterday." The lawmaker questioned if this constituted "coordinate targeting."

Kim Nam-hee, who supports a more cautious approach, suggested on SBS radio that "some lawmakers are using the abolition of supplementary investigation rights as a political tool to appeal to hardline party members." She deemed this behavior "inappropriate for politicians."

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No matter what you call it – 'supplementary,' 'reduction,' or 'alternative' – leaving any investigative power with the prosecution amounts to a failure of prosecutorial reform.

Despite the initial strong push for complete abolition, a more moderate view is gradually gaining traction. Five-term lawmaker Park Jie-won stated on YTN radio that "in cases like the Jang Yoon-gi incident, the issue of investigating vulnerable individuals, juveniles, women, and disabled victims is highlighted when supplementary investigation rights are abolished." He added, "Therefore, I have also revised my opinion to allow for some retention of these rights."

Park believes that the party's majority sentiment is shifting towards allowing exceptions for supplementary investigation rights. Meanwhile, Justice Minister Cho Kuk emphasized the importance of ensuring that "not even 1% of victims suffer injustice" and called for a "detailed system to ensure victims' rights are maximally guaranteed."

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My judgment is that Hong Ki-won's bill was a bill to preserve the prosecution's investigative powers.