[Anchor]

Following the Jang Yoon-ki case, concerns are growing over the abolition of the prosecution's supplementary investigation rights. However, the Democratic Party of Korea is accelerating the review of a bill to amend the Criminal Procedure Act that includes these changes. In response, the People Power Party has decided to counter by proposing a bill as its official party platform that would maintain these supplementary investigation rights.

Reporter Park Chan-beom reports.

[Reporter]

With members of the People Power Party absent, the Democratic Party and other members of the pro-Democratic Party bloc held a subcommittee meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee today (July 13). They announced plans to hold two or three meetings this week alone, accelerating the review of the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act, which centers on the abolition of supplementary investigation rights.

However, seemingly conscious of the concerns surrounding 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 / Executive Secretary 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 for exceptions to the 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, which would only increase the suffering of victims.

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The People Power Party has pushed back against the Democratic Party's attempt to amend the law, announcing that it will propose a bill as its official party platform to maintain supplementary investigation rights.

[Let's protect supplementary investigation rights! Let's 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 this October, by one year.

[Jung 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-chul would have been recorded as an unexplained heart attack.]

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

However, there are mixed opinions within the party regarding the proposal to revive the system of referring all cases to the prosecution, as there is concern that it could give the impression of opposing prosecution reform.

(Video coverage: Lee Seung-hwan, Shin Dong-hwan | Video editing: Won Hyung-hee)