Abolition of Supplementary Investigation Rights Without Government Proposal: Tensions Rise Within Democratic Party

[Anchor]

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok stated the government's official position on the abolition of supplementary investigation rights yesterday (June 25), but did not present a separate government proposal. Former leader Jung Chung-rae criticized this, calling it "stalling for time" and a "waste of time." Today, criticism directed at the former leader continued within the Democratic Party.

Reporter Kim Gwan-jin has the story.

[Reporter]

The Democratic Party's Supreme Council meeting was held without former leader Jung Chung-rae, who has resigned from his post.

Floor Leader Han Byung-do emphasized that the Democratic Party's commitment to prosecution reform has never wavered, stating that the separation of investigation and prosecution is a task of the times to prevent the abuse of prosecutorial power and protect the fundamental rights of the people.

[Han Byung-do/Democratic Party Floor Leader: The Democratic Party will begin reviewing the contents of the Criminal Procedure Act amendment. We will immediately enter the amendment process as soon as the formation of the standing committees is completed.]

When Prime Minister Kim Min-seok stated yesterday that the abolition of supplementary investigation rights is the government's basic position but that no separate government proposal would be submitted, former leader Jung Chung-rae attacked the move, using terms like "a trick to stall for time."

In response, Supreme Council members aligned with the pro-Lee Jae-myung faction sharpened their criticism, stating they could not agree with such remarks, adding that "irresponsible attempts to shake the president must not be repeated."

[Hwang Myung-sun/Democratic Party Supreme Council Member: There are those who speak of the government as wasting time or using tricks. It was truly heartbreaking to hear.]

[Kang Deuk-gu/Democratic Party Supreme Council Member: Irresponsible attempts to shake the president are a betrayal of the party members....]

On the other hand, Supreme Council member Moon Jeong-bok, classified as pro-Jung, emphasized the need for swift legislation, stating that the National Assembly must take the lead in discussing the bill.

[Moon Jeong-bok/Democratic Party Supreme Council Member: If a government proposal had been submitted, we would have discussed it based on that, but in the absence of one, the National Assembly must now play that role.]

With the August national convention approaching, the debate over the abolition of the prosecution's supplementary investigation rights is becoming intertwined with the race for party leadership, and internal tensions within the Democratic Party are expected to continue for the time being.

(Video Editing: Lee Seung-jin)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.