South Korea's Democrats push to abolish prosecutor investigation rights amid internal debate

The Democratic Party in South Korea is accelerating efforts to abolish prosecutors' supplementary investigation rights, a move that has sparked debate within the party itself. A proposed amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act, co-sponsored by Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Yong-min and Cho Kuk Innovation Party lawmaker Park Eun-jeong, seeks to completely eliminate prosecutors' direct and supplementary investigation powers, consolidating investigative authority solely with judicial police.

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There are 86 days left until the abolition of the Prosecutor's Office on October 2nd. The separation of investigation and prosecution cannot be a subject of compromise.

During a session of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, where only members from the Democratic Party and the Innovation Party were present due to the People Power Party's boycott, the urgency of the reform was highlighted. Lawmaker Kim Yong-min stressed the need for swift action, stating, "There are 86 days left until the abolition of the Prosecutor's Office on October 2nd. The separation of investigation and prosecution cannot be a subject of compromise."

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No investigative agency should wield unchecked power. We must not ignore the plea of the bereaved family of Jang Yoon-gi, who cried, 'There should be no more unjust deaths.'

However, not all members share the same sense of urgency. Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Nam-hee called for thorough preparation, emphasizing that "no investigative agency should wield unchecked power." She referenced the plea of Lee Chae-won's bereaved family, victims of the Jang Yoon-gi case, urging that "there should be no more unjust deaths." Park Eun-jeong argued that addressing "structural problems" is the essence of prosecutorial reform, and granting more investigative powers to prosecutors is not the solution.

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Addressing structural problems is the essence of prosecutorial reform. We should not solve this problem by giving more investigative powers to prosecutors.

Justice Minister Chung Sung-ho acknowledged the principle of separating investigation and prosecution, stating it must be upheld. He urged the National Assembly to "thoroughly discuss the cross-verification of investigations by judicial police." Meanwhile, presidential candidates from the party have largely called for swift processing, though some, like former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, suggested completing the legal revision by the end of July. Former party leader Chung Jin-sang also expressed a desire to avoid internal debate, fearing it could cast doubt on the principle of separating investigation and prosecution.

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The separation of investigation and prosecution must be clearly maintained. Cross-verification of investigations by judicial police is necessary, so please discuss this thoroughly in the National Assembly.