Conflict Over 'Supplementary Investigation Rights' Intensifies: Fallout from Claims That 'The President Does Not Want It'

[Anchor]

Disagreements are deepening within the Democratic Party over the abolition of the prosecution's supplementary investigation rights. Amidst this, prominent pro-government commentator and writer Rhyu Si-min claimed that judicial reform is stalled because President Lee Jae-myung does not want the complete separation of investigation and prosecution, further asserting that the President is on a path to inevitable failure.

Reporter Kim Kwan-jin has the story.

[Reporter]

The plenary session of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee was held in the absence of People Power Party lawmakers.

Regarding the issue of the prosecution's supplementary investigation rights, ruling party lawmakers clashed between those arguing that exceptions should be allowed to protect crime victims, and others.

[Kim Nam-hee/Democratic Party Lawmaker: Too many opinions are being poured out. The Lee Jae-myung administration must take responsibility for all future problems.]

Arguments also emerged for the need to prepare alternatives under the principle of complete abolition.

[Kim Yong-min/Democratic Party Lawmaker: Let us design a system that completely blocks the abuse of power by prosecutors while ensuring the state does not neglect victim relief...]

As the party leadership, which had insisted that the complete abolition of supplementary investigation rights was an unshakeable principle, appeared to be adjusting the pace by stating that "it has never been decided as a party platform," public backlash followed.

[Han Byung-do/Democratic Party Floor Leader: We will engage in intense debate and deliberation while broadly gathering opinions from the legal community, academia, and civil society...]

[Park Gyu-hwan/Democratic Party Supreme Council Member: Could (prosecution reform) be running aground due to the collusion and betrayal of Democratic Party lawmakers?]

Meanwhile, writer Rhyu Si-min, known as a prominent commentator for the ruling bloc, claimed that some ruling party lawmakers are opposing the complete abolition of supplementary investigation rights and proposing bills to allow partial exceptions because they know the thoughts of President Lee Jae-myung. He stated the following:

[Rhyu Si-min/Writer (YouTube 'Choi Wook's Maebul Show'): The reason prosecution reform has not been achieved for over a year is that the President does not want the complete separation of investigation and prosecution... Setting aside whether it is right or wrong, he is on a path to inevitable failure.]

In response, Democratic Party lawmaker Park Jie-won, who shifted his stance from total abolition to limited allowance of supplementary investigation rights following the 'Jang Yoon-ki case,' criticized Rhyu on social media, asking, "What has the prosecution reform that the Democratic Party has pursued so far, such as the dismantling of the Prosecutors' Office, been for?" and added that it "dealt a major blow to the Lee Jae-myung administration and the Democratic Party." Lawmaker Jang Cheol-min also attacked Rhyu, stating that he "crossed the line."

Meanwhile, conflict within the ruling bloc is intensifying, with protest comments from party members and supporters flooding the social media accounts of some ruling party lawmakers who supported the bill for exceptional allowance of supplementary investigation rights.

(Reported by Oh Young-chun and Kim Yong-woo | Video by Park Sun-soo | Graphics by Choi Jin-hoe)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.