Jung Cheong-rae, leader of the Democratic Party, emphasized on June 22 the need to eliminate any trace of supplementary investigation authority in light of the recent guilty verdict in the perjury case related to former Gyeonggi Province Peace Vice Governor Lee Hwa-young's alleged "salmon drinking party." He stated, "We must ensure that prosecutors do not even dream of having investigative powers."
During a Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly, Jung asserted, "The fundamental principle of prosecutorial reform is the complete separation of investigation and prosecution." He added, "If we grant even supplementary investigation authority to prosecutors, we cannot predict what tools they might wield against the government. The complete abolition of supplementary investigation authority is the answer." He expressed his belief that the prosecutors are a group that is truly difficult to reform, reflecting on the Lee Hwa-young trial.
Jung also questioned the rationale behind the high prosecution office's decision not to accept the findings that acknowledged evidence of alcohol being brought into the event, suggesting it might indicate collusion within the prosecution.
Furthermore, he expressed disappointment and concern regarding the court's ruling that deemed Lee's claims about the "salmon drinking party" as perjury, stating, "It is unfortunate and strange. Just because there is no direct evidence of whether alcohol was consumed does not mean one should be found guilty. I hope for a different ruling in the appeals court."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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