Key Arguments on 'Supplementary Investigation Rights': Why the Democratic Party Is Pushing for Speed

[Anchor]

I am joined by political reporter Go Jeong-hyeon to further examine the issues surrounding the abolition of supplementary investigation rights.

Q. What are the core arguments put forward by the ruling and opposition parties?

[Reporter Go Jeong-hyeon: First, the Democratic Party argues that side effects can be minimized by enhancing the enforceability of the right to request supplementary investigations. This includes requiring judicial police officers to complete supplementary investigations within a maximum of two months, even if prosecutors do not conduct the investigations themselves. They believe that by implementing double or triple checks on police authority—such as strengthening a prosecutor's right to demand corrective measures and the right to request reinvestigation—concerns regarding delays in case processing or the burying of cases can be resolved. However, the People Power Party criticizes this, arguing that as cases bounce back and forth between prosecutors and police, the processing time only increases. They also point out that requests for supplementary investigations or disciplinary actions against police are merely requests; if the police respond that there is no issue, there is no way to intervene. Yet, looking at cases like the Jang Yun-gi incident, it is true that one cannot help but doubt whether a proper investigation into such shocking allegations could have been conducted if prosecutors had been unable to carry out supplementary investigations.]

Q. The Democratic Party's plan to process the bill before the August 17 national convention?

[Reporter Go Jeong-hyeon: The Democratic Party is set to begin deliberations in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee subcommittee tomorrow, July 10, and aims to finalize the bill before the August 17 party leadership election. The Democratic Party cites the need for the Criminal Procedure Act to be processed beforehand so that the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the Public Prosecution Service, which are set to launch on October 2, can function properly. However, there is also analysis that the reason the Democratic Party is targeting a timeline before the national convention is to prevent the debate over whether to retain, abolish, or partially abolish supplementary investigation rights from becoming a contentious issue that could deepen internal party divisions. Furthermore, among supporters and party members who desire the complete abolition of prosecutorial investigative powers, there is a sentiment to finish the abolition of supplementary investigation rights before the national convention—in other words, when the influence of party members is at its strongest. In this situation, party leadership candidate and former Prime Minister Rep. Kim Min-seok, who had been aligning with President Lee Jae-myung’s stance on allowing exceptional cases for supplementary investigation rights, suddenly declared on June 25 that the abolition of these rights is the government's fundamental position. Former leader Jung Chung-rae has consistently argued that prosecutors should not be given even a shred of investigative power. Analysts suggest that this is largely driven by an awareness of their hardline support base.]

Q. A bill with significant social impact… Is more deliberation needed?

[Reporter Go Jeong-hyeon: That is correct. Since this is a matter that changes the foundation of the 70-year-old judicial system, careful deliberation is essential. Concerns about the push for speed have been raised within the Democratic Party as well. One Democratic Party lawmaker stated that they would soon hold a seminar to gather testimonies from crime victims and bring the necessity of supplementary investigations to public discourse. They also conveyed that they, along with several other lawmakers, plan to propose an amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act next week that includes the partial retention of supplementary investigation rights.]
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.