Oh Se-hoon: "Democratic Party's Push to Abolish Prosecutors' Supplementary Investigation Rights Is Reckless; President Must Stop It"

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has criticized the Democratic Party of Korea for pushing to abolish the supplementary investigation rights of the prosecution, urging the President to intervene and halt the move.

Mayor Oh posted a message on his Facebook page titled, "The end of the obsession with stripping the prosecution of its investigative powers is a disaster for the public's livelihood. The President must put on the brakes."

"What the public wants is simple: a country where crimes are properly uncovered, victims are protected to the end, and no one is unfairly treated," Oh stated. "That is the reason the judicial system exists."

He continued, "Yet, the Democratic Party is now attempting to abolish the supplementary investigation rights of prosecutors, which serve as the minimum safety valve. Is the Criminal Procedure Act of the Republic of Korea a subcontracted piece of legislation that must be hastily overhauled to fit the political schedule of a specific party?"

Citing cases such as the murder of a high school girl in Gwangju, Mayor Oh emphasized, "Although there were shortcomings in the initial investigation, the prosecution's supplementary investigation allowed us to approach the substantive truth. Checks and balances are necessary to correct errors and prevent unfair harm."

He further argued, "If this safety valve collapses, the damage will fall directly upon the lives of ordinary citizens. If only the right to request investigations—which lacks mandatory force—remains, the prosecution and police will simply pass the buck by tossing paperwork back and forth. During the months of investigative vacuum, criminals will gain time to change their smartphones and destroy evidence, effectively neutralizing legal investigations."

Mayor Oh pointed out, "The Democratic Party has already begun the countdown to legislative recklessness by unilaterally tabling this amendment in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly. A judicial system directly linked to the lives of the people must not be reduced to a promotional product for a specific party's national convention."

He concluded the post by stating, "If the end of this reckless drive is a disaster for the public's livelihood, the President, as the head of the executive branch and the final person responsible, must mobilize all constitutional powers to apply the brakes. I strongly urge the President to prepare to exercise the right to request a reconsideration immediately, even if the Democratic Party insists on forcing the bill through the plenary session."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.