President Lee: "Blocking All Supplementary Investigations Could Cause Problems... It Is Up to the National Assembly to Decide"

President Lee Jae-myung addressed the issue of the prosecution's authority for supplementary investigations, a key point of contention in the revision of the Criminal Procedure Act for so-called prosecution reform, stating, "I would prefer that it (supplementary investigation) be conducted only to the absolute minimum under strict conditions."

During a briefing at the Blue House Chunchugwan today (the 19th), President Lee said, "It is my view that if we block even exceptional cases (of supplementary investigation), it could lead to problems later on."

President Lee premised his remarks by saying, "I believe that controlling the potential for abuse by the prosecution is the primary priority," and added, "I think everyone agrees that the authority for supplementary investigation should basically be abolished."

However, he explained, "If there is a problem, we should just prevent the problem. We shouldn't avoid making soy sauce just because we are afraid of maggots; we should just block the possibility of maggots appearing," adding, "Even so, if it becomes impossible to prevent, it wouldn't be too late to give up on making the soy sauce then."

He continued, "Systems are things that can be created, implemented, and then corrected if necessary," suggesting that if even the slightest possibility of abuse is detected in the supplementary investigation authority—which would be limited to exceptional cases—the system could be changed at that time.

However, President Lee stated, "I have my own judgment, but rather than pushing for our position, I have left it to the National Assembly, so I think they can decide on their own," indicating that the final decision on this matter will be made by the National Assembly, regardless of his personal opinion.

President Lee said, "This issue is very sensitive and has become heavily contaminated," adding, "Because there is an aspect of it being used as a political slogan, it is not desirable for us to get involved."

He further explained, "I left it to the National Assembly to discuss because (expressing an opinion on this matter) could spark political controversy or become a target for political attacks," and added, "There is no need to create this much (controversy) over exceptional situations."

It appears to be the President's judgment that even if supplementary investigation authority is permitted, it would only be in extremely exceptional cases, and that the prolonged debate surrounding it does more harm than good.

President Lee added, "Since the authority has been given to the National Assembly, they will also bear the responsibility."

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