The Rebuilding Korea Party has raised suspicions of "prosecution-ordered legislation" and called for an explanation regarding a Criminal Procedure Act amendment sponsored by Rep. Hong Ki-won of the Democratic Party, which would allow prosecutors to conduct supplementary investigations in exceptional circumstances.
Park Byung-eon, senior spokesperson for the Rebuilding Korea Party, met with reporters after a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly on the 20th and said, "One of the main reasons for the delay in processing the Criminal Procedure Act amendment is the additional introduction of Rep. Hong's bill to retain supplementary investigation authority, which completely diverges from the original course of discussion." He added, "Since suspicions of prosecution-ordered legislation are being raised, a clear explanation from Rep. Hong's office is needed."
Park said, "I officially urge Rep. Hong to explicitly clarify whether he sponsored a bill provided from outside solely under his own name." He explained, "The reason we make this request is that the discussion on prosecutorial reform must be swiftly concluded in the right direction."
He said, "We have conveyed the Rebuilding Korea Party's concerns to the Democratic Party through various channels regarding the plenary session proceedings on the Criminal Procedure Act amendment, but we do not believe they are being properly reflected." He added, "We repeatedly urge that the bill previously prepared by the task force (TF) be brought to the plenary session through the Legislation and Judiciary Committee."
The Rebuilding Korea Party took issue with the fact that the bill could shake the principle of "complete abolition of prosecutors' supplementary investigation authority" that the Democratic Party and the Lee Jae-myung administration have been pursuing. Kim Joon-hyung, acting party leader and floor leader, pointed out at the meeting, "Now even within the Democratic Party, there are voices saying that at least some supplementary investigation authority should be retained, citing issues such as police investigative capacity."
Kim said, "We cannot help but strongly suspect that there may be another intention or backer seeking to turn a principle already confirmed by the government and the Democratic Party back into a matter of debate." He stressed, "I strongly urge the Democratic Party leadership, including floor leader Han Byung-do. They must not be dragged along by the complacent retention argument emerging within the party."
Supreme Council member Jung Choon-sook also pointed out, "Separating investigation from prosecution is the essence of prosecutorial reform, but the argument that investigative authority should remain with the public prosecution office to check the police puts the cart before the horse and represents a regression in prosecutorial reform." She added, "If prosecutors continue to exercise substantive investigative authority under the name of supplementary investigation, the prosecutors' office will change only in name, with nothing else different."
