Han Byung-doo Calls for Comprehensive Police Overhaul and Strict Penalties Over 'Jang Mi-ran Case'

Democratic Party Floor Leader Han Byung-doo stated today (Aug. 25) regarding the discovery in Jeju of a body presumed to be that of Jang Mi-ran, whose missing person report was falsely closed, "We will prepare a comprehensive overhaul plan for the police organization and fulfill our responsibility to the end in creating an investigative system that the public can trust."

During a floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly, Floor Leader Han emphasized, "We will coldly uncover the police's wrongdoing and strictly hold them accountable."

He said, "The police must thoroughly reveal the full picture of the false closure, including command, supervision, and responsibility, and severely punish those involved to set an example. A police force that fails to gain the public's trust has no reason to exist."

He added, "The police must recover public trust through painful reform, and the police themselves must come up with fundamental reform measures that the public can accept."

Furthermore, he pointed out, "We will not allow this incident to spread into public anxiety and distrust toward the new criminal justice system. As police authority has grown, investigative capabilities, high accountability, procedural transparency, and democratic control must be further strengthened."

Regarding Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's so-called written recommendation, Floor Leader Han said, "Rational suspicions are being raised as to whether this is an attempt to induce the government to reject the recommendation, restart the recommendation process from scratch, and newly compose a candidate pool tailored to their preferences."

He also mentioned regarding the provisions of the Court Organization Act on the Supreme Court Justice Candidate Recommendation Committee, "There is a legal loophole where if a recommendation is rejected or does not lead to appointment, the entire composition of the recommendation committee and the recommendation process must be repeated. We cannot tolerate any attempt to influence Supreme Court justice appointments by exploiting this legal loophole."

Previously, leader Kim Min-seok instructed the floor leadership the day before to review amending related clauses to block loopholes by revising the legal blind spot that requires forming a recommendation committee every time Supreme Court justices are recommended.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.