[Anchor]
Today, during the presidential work reports by the Ministry of Justice and other agencies, the Criminal Procedure Act, which passed the Cabinet meeting yesterday, was a key topic of discussion. Amid talks on specific follow-up measures following the abolition of prosecutors' supplementary investigation powers, President Lee Jae-myung urged the relevant ministries to coordinate well, noting that the ministers are close to each other.
Reporter Kang Min-u has the details.
[Reporter]
During the work reports from the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the prosecution, and the police, President Lee Jae-myung made these remarks regarding public concerns over the abolition of prosecutors' investigative powers due to the amendment of the Criminal Procedure Act.
[President Lee Jae-myung : There are cases like, "How did the police handle family-related incidents?" There are aspects where, if the police simply manage to silence the victim appropriately, it becomes very easy to bury a case.]
While the police highlighted institutional safeguards such as rotational personnel assignments and the appeal system,
[Yoo Jae-seong / Acting Commissioner General of the Korean National Police Agency : When an appeal is filed, non-indictment cases are also legally mandated to be forwarded.]
the Ministry of Justice placed more weight on practical limitations.
[Chung Sung-ho / Minister of Justice : They say case records will be forwarded regarding non-indictment cases, but because it is not their own case, a drop in the level of attention is inevitable.]
Discussions also covered how the joint prosecution-police investigation headquarters should be operated moving forward.
[Chung Sung-ho / Minister of Justice : The legal basis for the current operation of the joint investigation headquarters is very weak. From our perspective, it is practically nonexistent.]
The point was raised that prosecutors who have lost investigative powers lack any legal basis for their roles within the joint investigation headquarters.
[Lee Jin-su / Vice Minister of Justice : There are doubts about whether dispatching prosecutors as we do now will remain effective based solely on warrant reviews.]
President Lee noted that all institutional reforms cannot be overhauled at once, and urged inter-ministerial consultations for supplementation.
[President Lee Jae-myung : The Minister of the Interior and Safety and the Minister of Justice, you two are close, right? In any case, please coordinate well with each other.]
Regarding the status of Minister of Justice Chung Sung-ho, who recently expressed his intent to resign, neither President Lee nor Minister Chung made any specific mention today. However, a Cheong Wa Dae official stated that the prevailing atmosphere is that Minister Chung must fulfill his responsibilities until the launch of the Prosecution Service and the Serious Crime Investigation Agency.
(Video by Ha Ryong and Yoon Hyung | Video Editing by Park Ji-in)
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