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Ruling party slams acting prosecutor general's resignation over legal reform
🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

Ruling party slams acting prosecutor general's resignation over legal reform

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • South Korea's interim prosecutor general resigned following the passage of a bill that abolished the prosecution's supplementary investigation rights.
  • The ruling People Power Party criticized the resignation as an excuse, stating that the public must bear the consequences of the legal system's collapse.
  • The opposition Democratic Party's forceful passage of the bill is seen as an attempt to dismantle the prosecution rather than reform it, potentially hindering the discovery of truth and protection of victims.

The People Power Party fiercely criticized the resignation of interim prosecutor general Gu Ja-hyun, calling it an "excuse" to abandon responsibility at a critical moment for the public.

The domino resignation of leaders and the investigation vacuum will ultimately burden the public.

— Park Choong-kwonPeople Power Party senior spokesperson criticizing the interim prosecutor general's resignation.

"The domino resignation of leaders and the investigation vacuum will ultimately burden the public," said Park Choong-kwon, the People Power Party's senior spokesperson, in a statement. He argued that the Democratic Party's "forceful passage of the criminal procedure law amendment" has led to the "collapse of the prosecution system," not reform, pushing the public's safety to the sidelines.

The forceful passage of the criminal procedure law amendment has led to the collapse of the prosecution system, not reform.

— Park Choong-kwonPeople Power Party senior spokesperson criticizing the Democratic Party's actions.

Gu Ja-hyun had stated earlier that he felt responsible for the remaining concerns among legal experts and the public regarding the amended law and submitted his resignation. Justice Minister Cho Sung-moo had also offered his resignation to President Lee Jae-myung, but it was reportedly rejected. A presidential office official confirmed no official resignation from the Justice Minister had been received.

The public must bear all these damages, even if more victims of injustice arise, or if heinous criminals are released.

— Park Choong-kwonPeople Power Party senior spokesperson warning about the consequences of the legal changes.

The People Power Party warned that abolishing supplementary investigation rights would "prevent the discovery of substantive truth and severely undermine victim protection." They asserted that "even if more victims of injustice arise, or if heinous criminals are released, the public must bear all these damages." The party concluded that "the Democratic Party, which created this judicial tragedy, and the leaders who abandoned their posts are all responsible. The public's legal safety net has completely collapsed due to the legislative monopoly of the large ruling party and the leaders' evasion of responsibility."

The public's legal safety net has completely collapsed due to the legislative monopoly of the large ruling party and the leaders' evasion of responsibility.

— Park Choong-kwonPeople Power Party senior spokesperson describing the impact of the recent legislative changes.
DistantNews Editorial

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

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