DPK: "Prosecution's Supplementary Investigation Power Not the Solution to Jang Yoon-gi Case; Stance on Abolition Remains Unchanged"

The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) announced today (July 9) that it will include provisions to maintain the abolition of the prosecution's supplementary investigation power while strengthening the mechanism for requesting such investigations in its upcoming amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act.

Kim Han-kyu, Senior Deputy Floor Leader, told reporters after a policy coordination meeting that the party plans to finalize and propose the bill following the final meeting of the party's Criminal Procedure Act Amendment Task Force (TF) this afternoon.

Regarding concerns that the complete abolition of the prosecution's supplementary investigation power could affect cases like the Jang Yoon-gi incident, Kim stated, "While the media has raised many questions about the necessity of current supplementary investigations, the party's policy to abolish the prosecution's supplementary investigation power remains unchanged."

He emphasized, "In the case of the Jang Yoon-gi incident, it is true that supplementary investigations helped identify shortcomings in the police investigation, but supplementary investigation by the prosecution is not necessarily the only solution."

Regarding alternative measures following the abolition of the prosecution's supplementary investigation power, he said, "A system is being prepared to allow the prosecution to identify and address issues that can be confirmed through investigative materials, records, and evidence by requesting supplementary investigations." He added, "We are preparing measures to make it more practical so that the police are compelled to comply with requests for supplementary investigations more effectively than in the past."

Addressing the allegations of evidence tampering and collusion by the police revealed in the Jang Yoon-gi case, he said, "It is more important not to assign cases to investigative teams where stakeholders are involved or where fair investigations cannot be expected." He added, "I believe the Jang Yoon-gi incident occurred because such a system is not in place within the police."

He hinted that the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act would include provisions to address this, stating, "It is necessary to establish a system to ensure that investigative teams with conflicts of interest or concerns regarding fairness are not assigned to cases to prevent such problems from recurring within investigative agencies."

He also mentioned, "We are considering reviewing and reflecting more issues related to objections by complainants or victims, as well as human rights protection, in the bill."

Regarding the timeline for the National Assembly's processing of the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act to abolish the supplementary investigation power, Kim said, "We may begin deliberations at the (National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee) bill subcommittee as early as tomorrow." He added, "The Legislation and Judiciary Committee stated that if necessary, it would hold subcommittee meetings twice a week to swiftly review livelihood bills, including the Criminal Procedure Act."

He continued, "While I cannot state the final processing date, we plan to review it quickly," adding, "Depending on the circumstances, it could be processed before the national convention (August 17)."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.