Kim Nam-hee, a member of the Democratic Party, commented on the recent passage of the "Sexual Violence Crime Punishment Act" in the National Assembly, stating, "We must prevent situations where the role of prosecutors as protectors of human rights is excessively restricted, leading to harm for the public."
On September 18, during an appearance on CBS Radio's "Park Seong-tae's News Show," Kim clarified, "I am not saying that prosecutors should conduct investigations. It is unreasonable to claim that a prosecutor has investigated simply because a victim's interview is used as evidence in exceptional cases."
Previously, conflicts arose within the ruling coalition during the legislative process aimed at abolishing prosecutorial investigative powers, particularly regarding the evidentiary value of recorded interviews between minor sexual violence victims and prosecutors. According to the Sexual Violence Punishment Act, statements and investigative processes involving victims under 19 must be recorded and preserved.
These recordings can later be recognized as evidence under limited circumstances. In this context, Kim argued that the evidentiary value of interview recordings should not be excluded, while fellow party members Kim Yong-min and Park Eun-jung from the Justice Reform Party contended that provisions related to evidentiary value should be removed to abolish prosecutorial powers.
Kim stated, "Victims are often in very unstable situations, causing their statements to change frequently. Therefore, it is crucial to preserve evidence from any given moment to ensure that it can be used in court after the investigation."
He added, "Evidentiary value should only be granted in very exceptional cases, such as when a victim is deceased, missing, or has a disability. Protecting victims in desperate situations is the state's responsibility, and I cannot accept that abandoning this is part of the spirit of prosecutorial reform."
Kim expressed relief that many members of the Legislative Judiciary Committee understood his concerns and that the amendments were fortunately passed. He emphasized the need to create safeguards to prevent concerns about investigative gaps from becoming a reality regarding the abolition of supplementary investigative powers for prosecutors, stating, "If issues arise during the operation of the system, we must make necessary amendments to improve it."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.