▲ The revision to the Criminal Procedure Act, submitted the previous day, is displayed on the electronic scoreboard after being passed with 175 yes votes, 2 no votes, and 1 abstention among the 178 lawmakers present at the 3rd plenary session of the July extraordinary session of the National Assembly on the 31st. Representative Kwak Sang-un cast the sole opposing vote among the Democratic Party, which pushed the revision as a party line, while Representative Lee So-young abstained. From the New Reform Party, Representative Lee Ju-young also cast an opposing vote.
Representative Kwak Sang-un of the Democratic Party, the son-in-law of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, cast a dissenting vote on the revision to the Criminal Procedure Act, which aims to abolish prosecutors' direct investigative powers.
The revision passed the plenary session of the National Assembly today (the 31st) with 175 yes votes, 2 no votes, and 1 abstention out of 178 lawmakers present.
With People Power Party lawmakers boycotting the vote, only Representative Kwak and Representative Lee Ju-young of the New Reform Party cast opposing votes.
Democratic Party Representative Lee So-young abstained.
Immediately after the plenary session, Representative Kwak posted on Facebook, stating, "I could not make any other choice when the impending suffering of the public is visible and the tears of the public are audible."
This explained his reason for voting against the bill despite it being established as the party line.
On the 24th, the Democratic Party adopted as its party line the revision to the Criminal Procedure Act, centered on prohibiting prosecutors from conducting direct investigations, including supplementary investigations.
Representative Kwak and Representative Lee previously co-sponsored a separate revision to the Criminal Procedure Act with Representative Hong Ki-won, which would have retained some supplementary investigative powers for prosecutors in crimes targeting the socially vulnerable.
During a debate held with Representative Hong on the 23rd, Representative Kwak also addressed Acting Party Leader and Floor Leader Han Byung-do, who had set the policy for the complete abolition of prosecutorial investigative powers, stating, "(Regarding the reasons for pushing the bill) you mentioned President Roh Moo-hyun, but making systems is not about settling personal grudges."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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