DP Pushes to Abolish Supplementary Investigation Rights, While PPP Makes Retention Its Party Platform

[Anchor]

The Democratic Party of Korea is accelerating its review of a proposed amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act, which centers on the complete abolition of supplementary investigation rights. In response, the People Power Party has decided to counter by proposing a bill that maintains these rights as its official party platform.

Reporter Park Chan-beom has the story.

[Reporter]

With members of the People Power Party absent, lawmakers from the Democratic Party and other allied parties held a subcommittee meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee today (July 13). They announced plans to hold two to three meetings this week alone, accelerating the review of the Criminal Procedure Act amendment aimed at abolishing supplementary investigation rights.

However, seemingly conscious of concerns regarding the abolition, they are also reviewing additional supplementary measures such as the digitization of investigation materials and an investigation real-name system.

[Kim Seung-won / Ranking Member of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee (Democratic Party): We are reviewing the entire criminal justice system to ensure it is the most efficient and fair for those involved in cases...]

Meanwhile, Democratic Party lawmaker Hong Ki-won has decided to propose a bill that would allow exceptions for supplementary investigation rights in cases such as sex crimes or voice phishing. In a letter sent to fellow lawmakers, he emphasized that a total ban on supplementary investigations would inevitably lead to delays in case processing, thereby increasing the suffering of victims.

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The People Power Party has countered the Democratic Party's legislative attempt by announcing it will propose an amendment to maintain supplementary investigation rights as a party platform.

[Let's protect supplementary investigation rights! Protect them! Protect them!]

The party also decided to adopt a plan to delay the implementation of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency Act and the Public Prosecution Service Act, both scheduled to take effect in October of this year, by one year.

[Jeong Jeom-sik / Floor Leader of the People Power Party: If the dismantling of the prosecution and the abolition of supplementary investigation rights had occurred in 1987, the official cause of death for Park Jong-cheol would have been an unexplained heart attack...]

To prevent the recurrence of incidents like the Jang Yoon-ki case, the People Power Party plans to include a provision in its amendment that would require prosecutors and police officers to consult from the early stages of investigations for serious crimes.

However, there are divided opinions within the party regarding the revival of the system where all cases are referred to the prosecution, due to concerns that it could give the impression of opposing prosecution reform.

(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.