[Anchor]
The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) proposed an amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act today (July 9), with the core provision being the abolition of the prosecution's authority to conduct supplementary investigations. The People Power Party (PPP) has strongly protested, claiming the move would turn the country into a "paradise for criminals."
Reporter Son Hyeong-an has the story.
[Reporter]
The Democratic Party held a task force meeting today to finalize the Criminal Procedure Act amendment and officially proposed the bill this afternoon.
The party maintains that its stance on abolishing the prosecution's supplementary investigation authority—which allows for direct investigations—remains unchanged.
While acknowledging that shortcomings in police investigations were identified in the recent Jang Yoon-gi case, the Democratic Party argues that such issues can be resolved through mechanisms like the authority to demand supplementary investigations, including mandatory clauses that require the police to perform such tasks.
[Kim Han-kyu / DPK Senior Deputy Floor Leader for Policy: We have deliberated on ways to minimize potential issues arising from the complete separation of investigation and prosecution, and to efficiently supplement police investigations to ensure the full protection of victims' human rights.]
With the bill proposed today, it is expected to be discussed at the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee starting tomorrow, alongside previous bills proposed by opposition lawmakers.
The Democratic Party aims to process the bill quickly around the time of its national convention, though it remains open to the possibility of the People Power Party participating in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee to discuss and process the bill through consultation.
The People Power Party criticized the Democratic Party for siding with criminals, citing cases such as the "Busan roundhouse kick case"—a high-profile assault case involving a brutal attack—and the Jang Yoon-gi case, where the prosecution's supplementary investigations were instrumental in uncovering the full details of the incidents.
PPP Representative Jang Dong-hyuk escalated his criticism, stating that the dismantling of the prosecution and the stripping of its supplementary investigation authority would ultimately create a "paradise for criminals."
[Jang Dong-hyuk / PPP Representative: It is said that there is a saying circulating among the public these days: when a businessperson becomes president, businesses are respected, but when a criminal becomes president, only criminals are respected.]
Representative Jang canceled his scheduled meeting with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo today and visited the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency, which is in charge of the Jang Yoon-gi case, to request a meeting with the police chief, but the request was ultimately denied.
Representative Jang fiercely criticized the situation, saying, "I came to verify the details of a case that has sparked public outrage, but the police chief ran away. This is the true face of the police."
(Video coverage: Oh Young-chun, Lee Seung-hwan | Video editing: Jeon Min-gyu)
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