The National Assembly's Judiciary Committee discussed a bill to abolish supplementary investigation rights on the 15th but failed to reach a conclusion. The committee plans to review a bill proposed by Democratic Party lawmaker Hong Gi-won on the 14th that seeks to retain some supplementary investigation rights.
Kim Seung-won, the chair of the Judiciary Committee's subcommittee and a member of the Democratic Party, spoke to reporters after the meeting, stating, "Chairman Seo Young-kyu should decide on the direct referral of the bill proposed by Hong." He added, "I hope the People Power Party members will discuss this within the framework of the National Assembly rather than making noise outside of it."
Meanwhile, there are differing opinions within the Democratic Party regarding the proposed abolition of supplementary investigation rights as part of judicial reform. Hardliners like lawmaker Kim Yong-min have proposed a complete abolition, while Hong argues that supplementary investigation rights should be retained for exceptional cases such as sexual violence.
Additionally, the Judiciary Committee is currently reviewing a bill proposed by the Democratic Party's Criminal Procedure Law Task Force, which is being merged with a bill introduced by lawmaker Cha Gyu-geun of the Innovation Party. The Democratic Party aims to reach a conclusion through deliberation based on the task force's proposal.
The task force is composed of lawmakers Kim Seung-won and Lee Hae-sik, along with Kim Han-kyu, the party's deputy floor leader, and Park Sang-hyuk, the deputy chair of the policy committee. The task force's bill is designed to replace supplementary investigation rights with a supplementary investigation request right.
The abolition of supplementary investigation rights has been a long-standing demand of the Democratic Party, but the controversy has arisen following Hong's proposal to retain some rights.
In a Facebook post, Hong warned, "If the complete abolition of supplementary investigation rights leads to more incidents like the Jang Yun-ki case during police investigations, the Democratic Party will lose the trust of the public and face severe consequences in the upcoming general and presidential elections."
He also stated, "The goal is not simply to abolish the investigative powers of the prosecution; it is a means to eliminate political prosecution and protect the public. If there are ways to minimize public harm, we should consider them."
Hong's proposal has sparked differing opinions among potential candidates for the Democratic Party leadership ahead of the upcoming party convention. Former leader Jung Cheong-rae expressed disappointment, saying, "I am saddened by the sudden shift in atmosphere."
In contrast, lawmaker Ko Min-jeong remarked, "A public forum that cannot even raise issues is meaningless. It is a matter of conscience for me not to raise concerns when there are visible problems that could affect the public. I hope meaningful discussions will take place." Ko has also signed her name to Hong's proposal.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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