On July 21, the Democratic Party held a public hearing regarding the controversial reform bill aimed at abolishing supplementary investigation rights, where experts expressed conflicting views. Some argued that monopoly leads to corruption, while others contended that the Jang Yoon-ki case is an isolated incident.
Han Byeong-do, the party's acting leader and floor leader, stated at the National Assembly's policy meeting for the public hearing, "We have created a forum to alleviate even 1% of the anxiety felt by the public during the process of institutional improvement," adding, "Judicial reform is a solemn mandate from the people to rectify the abuses of unchecked power and to create a society where all are equal."
He emphasized, "The Democratic Party will focus its efforts on completing a criminal justice system that serves the people and achieving judicial reform."
Kim Kyu-hyun, a lawyer and former prosecutor, pointed out, "If the police monopolize investigative rights and the prosecution monopolizes prosecutorial rights, corruption is inevitable." He advocated for the decentralization of investigation and prosecution, suggesting that investigations should be led by the police, with the prosecution correcting any issues through supplementary investigation rights. He also proposed that the prosecution should lead prosecutions while the courts should have supplementary prosecutorial rights.
Conversely, lawyer Kang Dong-pil, a former police officer, remarked, "While the Jang Yoon-ki case is regrettable, it is not reasonable to make policy decisions based on emotional responses to specific incidents." He asserted, "Even without supplementary investigations by prosecutors, the practical aspects of investigations are already handled by the police. Through prompt pre-cooperation with the prosecution and external oversight, there should be no blind spots in protecting vulnerable members of society."
Additionally, the discussion featured contributions from Kim and Kang, as well as Park Chan-woon, a professor at Hanyang University Law School, Yoo Seung-ik from Myongji University, Hwang Mun-kyu from Joongbu University, and Kim Hye-jung, head of the Korean Sexual Violence Counseling Center.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.