[Anchor]
Amid a series of botched police investigations, President Lee Jae-myung and rival political parties strongly rebuked the police for their shortcomings. The Democratic Party has launched a police reform task force.
Reporter Park Jae-yeon has the details.
[Reporter]
During a Cabinet meeting yesterday (August 25), President Lee Jae-myung pointed out that recent issues regarding lax discipline and irresponsibility within the police have emerged as serious concerns.
He noted that as the police have gained broader authority through amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act, reforms are necessary to reinforce their accountability.
[President Lee Jae-myung : Public concern is very high. Because doubts arise as to whether they are truly capable of fulfilling the responsibilities commensurate with this immense power, how we should reform the police moving forward...]
Democratic Party Floor Leader Han Byung-do, who called for a "complete overhaul and renewal" of the police on the 6th regarding the Jang Yoon-gi case, demanded once again 19 days later that the police undergo "drastic self-renewal."
[Han Byung-do / Democratic Party Floor Leader : The police now stand at a final testing ground that will determine whether they can recover public trust.]
Self-reflection and sharp criticism poured out during a police reform seminar held by ruling-bloc lawmakers.
A lawmaker and former Deputy Commissioner General of the Korean National Police Agency remarked,
[Lim Ho-sun / Democratic Party Lawmaker : It feels as though I have lived a wasted life. I feel as if I have committed an unforgivable sin, and the police are still failing to fulfill their responsibilities.]
Experts suggested establishing tighter oversight of police power, such as strengthening the authority of the National Police Commission.
[Lee Chang-min / Attorney : Cases are simply closed as suicides. Why are they handled that way? Because it is the easiest method. External oversight is necessary.]
The Democratic Party launched a police reform task force upon the instructions of party leader Kim Min-seok. Lawmaker Kim Nam-hee, who was appointed as the head of the task force, had previously emphasized the need for supplementary legislation to protect victims during the recent process of revising the Criminal Procedure Act to abolish the prosecution's supplementary investigation rights.
People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hvk targeted the ruling bloc on social media, writing, "Did you push ahead with the dismantling of the prosecution while knowing so much about the police issues? In the end, only the public will suffer tremendous damage."
(Video by: Oh Young-chun, Kim Yong-woo | Video Editing by: Won Hyung-hee | Design: Lee Ga-jin)
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