People Power Party Files Constitutional Appeal Against Abolition of Prosecution's Supplementary Investigation Rights

South Korea's conservative People Power Party (PPP) announced on August 13 that its legal advisory committee will file a constitutional appeal against the recently revised Criminal Procedure Act. The revision in question abolishes the prosecution's supplementary investigation rights, a move the PPP contends infringes upon citizens' fundamental rights and is unconstitutional.

The party stated in a press release to reporters that the constitutional appeal aims to challenge the "infringement of basic rights and unconstitutionality" stemming from the Lee Jae-myung administration and the Democratic Party's push to abolish the prosecution's supplementary investigation powers. Kim Tae-gyu, the party's legal advisory committee chairman, is scheduled to submit the appeal to the Constitutional Court later in the afternoon.

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They initially claimed the political prosecution was a problem and advocated for dismantling the prosecution and abolishing supplementary investigation rights. If that was the issue, it should have been supplemented. Instead, they performed surgery on the neck when only the limbs needed treatment.

Earlier, PPP floor leader Jang Dong-hyuk criticized the revision during a parliamentary discussion, stating, "They initially claimed the political prosecution was a problem and advocated for dismantling the prosecution and abolishing supplementary investigation rights. If that was the issue, it should have been supplemented. Instead, they performed surgery on the neck when only the limbs needed treatment." Rep. Jeong Jong-sik echoed this sentiment, calling the revision "secondary victimization inflicted by the state upon victims."

The PPP's legal challenge underscores the deep political divide over prosecutorial reform in South Korea. The party argues that the abolition of supplementary investigation rights, a key component of the prosecution's investigative authority, will significantly weaken its ability to uncover complex crimes and ensure justice.

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Secondary victimization inflicted by the state upon victims.