"Birth of a Police Monster" vs. "Supplementary Investigation Authority Is a Separate Issue"

[Anchor]

At the National Assembly, the controversy surrounding the abolition of the supplementary investigation authority, which has intensified following the Jang Yoon-gi case, continues today (July 13). The Democratic Party of Korea has repeatedly drawn a line, stating that the Jang Yoon-gi case and the issue of abolishing the supplementary investigation authority are separate matters, while the People Power Party has countered by warning that "an unchecked police monster will be born."

Reporter Son Hyeong-an has the story.

[Reporter]

Democratic Party lawmakers on the National Assembly Public Administration and Security Committee held a press conference this morning, expressing concern over growing calls to retain the prosecutor's supplementary investigation authority in the wake of the Jang Yoon-gi case.

The Democratic Party lawmakers made it clear that the two issues are separate, stating that they will push for a fact-finding investigation into the Jang Yoon-gi case while the supplementary investigation authority should be decided through separate discussions.

[Kim Young-jin / Democratic Party Lawmaker: Mixing the two issues does not help in resolving the Jang Yoon-gi case quickly, punishing those responsible, and uncovering the substantive truth at this moment....]

The Democratic Party also took aim at the People Power Party, which is protesting the distribution of standing committee chair positions, urging them to immediately stop boycotting the formation of the National Assembly and cooperate in normalizing parliamentary operations.

While voices within the Democratic Party are also calling for caution regarding the abolition of the supplementary investigation authority, Representative Kim Nam-hee of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee held a press conference, stating that the revision of the Criminal Procedure Act must not be a change for the worse for victims.

People Power Party Representative Jang Dong-hyuk criticized the existence of a disgraceful "in-house cartel" behind the Jang Yoon-gi case that downplayed the incident and leaked investigation information, warning that if the supplementary investigation authority, which can keep the police in check, is abolished, a "police monster" will be born.

[Jang Dong-hyuk / People Power Party Representative: Ultimately, a police monster will be born. It will absolutely be corrupt. You can see that just by looking at this Jang Yoon-gi case.]

With the Democratic Party announcing plans to hold two Legislation and Judiciary Committee subcommittee meetings this week to speed up the review of the bill, and the People Power Party planning to discuss a counter-bill that specifies the retention of the supplementary investigation authority through senior party meetings and general meetings of lawmakers, the standoff between the ruling and opposition parties over the abolition of the supplementary investigation authority is expected to continue.

(Video reporting: Lee Seung-hwan, Shin Dong-hwan | Video editing: Won Hyeong-hee)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.