On July 15, members of the National Assembly's Legislative Judiciary Committee clashed over the abolition of supplementary investigation rights for prosecutors. The ruling coalition held a full meeting in the absence of the People Power Party, with opinions divided on whether to maintain some supplementary investigation rights for exceptional cases or to abolish them entirely.
During the meeting, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Nam-hee stated, "There are many voices opposing the abolition of supplementary investigation rights or calling for further discussion." She expressed concern that pushing for reforms without sufficient public support could undermine trust in the government.
Kim emphasized, "If we do not reflect the opinions of victims, the Lee Jae-myung administration will ultimately be held accountable," urging a thorough discussion on how to respond when victims raise issues.
Kim Nam-hee co-signed a bill proposed by fellow Democratic Party lawmaker Hong Gi-won the previous day, which calls for maintaining supplementary investigation rights in exceptional cases such as sexual violence and abuse of children and the elderly.
This bill is expected to be discussed in conjunction with three other bills currently under review by the committee's subcommittee starting July 16. The proposed amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act include joint proposals from Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Yong-min and Justice Innovation Party lawmaker Park Eun-jung, as well as a bill led by Justice Innovation Party lawmaker Cha Kyu-geun, and the agenda from the Democratic Party's Criminal Procedure Act Task Force.
In this context, Park Eun-jung, known for her hardline stance on abolishing supplementary investigation rights, argued, "Reports have emerged highlighting the need for supplementary investigation rights due to organized concealment by the police in the Jang Yoon-ki case." She also pointed to instances where prosecutors have used supplementary investigation rights to cover up cases, such as the former Deputy Minister of Justice Kim Hak-eui and the case involving the brother-in-law of independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon.
Park asserted, "The reason for pursuing prosecutorial reform is that there have been issues with prosecutorial investigations," and emphasized that prosecutors should not be granted investigative powers again.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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