[Anchor]

The political maneuvering and tension among Democratic Party leadership candidates are intensifying. Former Representative Jung Chung-rae has demanded the immediate abolition of the prosecution's supplementary investigation rights, even setting a deadline for the process. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok stated that while the abolition of these rights is the government's official stance, the administration will not submit a separate government bill, effectively passing the ball to the National Assembly.

Reporter Kim Kwan-jin has the story.

[Reporter]

Former Representative Jung Chung-rae, who is effectively launching a bid for a consecutive term as Democratic Party leader, posted on his social media this morning (June 25), calling for the "immediate abolition of supplementary investigation rights." He also set a deadline, demanding that the "government bill be submitted to the National Assembly immediately" and that it "pass the plenary session before Constitution Day."

In response, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who returned from a business trip to China last night, held an unscheduled press conference to formalize the government's position on abolishing the prosecution's supplementary investigation rights.

[Kim Min-seok/Prime Minister: After considering various opinions, we have finalized the abolition of supplementary investigation rights as the government's fundamental position.]

This is interpreted as an attempt to prevent former Representative Jung from seizing the initiative in the upcoming party leadership race by preempting the issue of prosecution reform and appealing to party members with a clear, hardline stance.

However, Prime Minister Kim stated, "The government will not submit a separate legislative bill," adding that it is "desirable for the National Assembly to reach a decision through sufficient deliberation" and that he "hopes for a rational conclusion."

Some interpreted his choice of words as intentional, noting that they mirror the remarks of President Lee Jae-myung, who has repeatedly urged the National Assembly to "deliberate" on the matter.

In response, former Representative Jung posted again, stating that it would have been best if the "full abolition of supplementary investigation rights" had been sent to the National Assembly as a government bill. He questioned whether the move was an attempt to "pass the buck to the National Assembly" or a "delaying tactic," which is seen as a move to pressure the Prime Minister once again.

However, as the issue of supplementary investigation rights becomes a focal point of the ruling party's leadership race, concerns are emerging from political and legal circles that precise legal and institutional discussions and debates may be overlooked.

Meanwhile, the Blue House announced that President Lee and former President Moon Jae-in will have a luncheon at the Blue House on the 1st of next month.

Former Representative Jung visited and met with former President Moon yesterday without prior coordination. With concerns growing over potential divisions among supporters within the ruling bloc, attention is focused on whether the meeting between the current and former presidents will lead to a message of unity.

(Reported by Kim Kwan-jin | Video by Oh Young-chun, Lee Seung-hwan, and Kim Yong-woo | Video Editing by Nam Il | Graphics by Choi Jin-hye and Han Song-yeon)