"Gates of Hell Opened" Outcry vs. "Mindless Criticism" Rebuttal

[Anchor]

As the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act was approved in the Cabinet meeting without President Lee Jae-myung exercising his veto power, the People Power Party denounced it by declaring that "the gates of hell have opened," while the Democratic Party rebuked the opposition for "mindless criticism."

Reporter Kim Bo-mi has the story.

[Reporter]

An emergency debate was held by the People Power Party.

Ahead of the Cabinet meeting where the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act was set to be tabled, the party urged President Lee Jae-myung to exercise his veto power.

[Na Kyung-won / People Power Party Lawmaker: The gates of hell have opened. The amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act is opposed by the vast majority of the public, and even the Minister of Justice and the acting Prosecutor General have offered to resign...]

However, when the amendment was approved in the Cabinet meeting without a veto, the People Power Party strongly denounced the decision.

They claimed that the abolition of prosecutors' supplementary investigation powers marks the death sentence of the rule of law in South Korea, and argued that failing to exercise the veto despite desperate opposition from violent crime victims and the public was intended to secure his own safety after leaving office.

[Jang Dong-hyeok / Leader of the People Power Party: He signed a malicious law that makes victims cry out just to completely erase his own trials.]

Kim Jin-joo, the victim of the "Busan roundhouse kick incident" who previously left a comment on social media reading "Go to hell" for Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Yong-min, who spearheaded the legislation, said the following:

[Kim Jin-joo / Victim of the "Busan Roundhouse Kick Incident": Crime victims are already living in hell right now. It has truly become a hell for victims. The ones who are wronged by this legislation are the victims.]

In response, the Democratic Party countered that the People Power Party's claims—that investigative vacuums and the passing of the buck on cases would occur—are misleading to the public.

In particular, the party stated that supplementary legislation will be completed before October 2, when the Prosecution Service and the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency are launched, to ensure that the "seven major crimes targeting the socially vulnerable" are not concluded solely at the police stage, demanding that the opposition "stop mindless criticism."

[Park Byung-do / Floor Leader of the Democratic Party: We urge the People Power Party to halt baseless, false agitation and cooperate in follow-up legislation and institutional reorganization to protect the rights and interests of victims.]

With the People Power Party planning to additionally propose its own amendment to preserve supplementary investigation powers and file a constitutional complaint, the rivalry between the ruling and opposition parties over the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act is expected to continue.

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