The National Assembly's Legal Committee discussed a bill to abolish supplementary investigation rights on July 15 but failed to reach a conclusion. The committee plans to review a bill proposed by Democratic Party lawmaker Hong Gi-won on July 16, which seeks to retain some supplementary investigation rights.
Kim Seung-won, the chair of the committee's subcommittee and a member of the Democratic Party, spoke to reporters after the meeting, stating, "The committee chair, Seo Young-kyo, must decide on the direct referral of the bill proposed by Hong." He added, "I hope the People Power Party members will engage in discussions within 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. Some hardliners, including 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 Democratic Party's Criminal Procedure Act Task Force is currently reviewing a bill proposed by lawmaker Cha Gyu-geun, which will be combined with the Democratic Party's proposal. The party intends 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 with 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 Yoon-ki case during police investigations, the Democratic Party will lose the public's trust and face difficult outcomes 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 also 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 stated, "A public forum where issues cannot even be raised is meaningless. It is a matter of conscience for me not to raise concerns when there are visible issues that could affect the public. I hope meaningful discussions take place." Ko has also signed on to Hong's proposed bill.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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