"Even a Trace of Supplementary Investigation Authority Must Be Eliminated"… "Party Must Take Greater Responsibility"

[Anchor]

In the Democratic Party, where the race for the next party leadership is heating up, Representative Jung Chung-rae has reiterated his call for the complete abolition of the prosecution's supplementary investigation authority, stating that even a "trace" of it must be removed. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, while acknowledging that the abolition of the authority is inevitable, showed a slight difference in tone. Regarding the decline in the ruling party's approval ratings, he emphasized that the party must take greater responsibility.

Reporter Ha Jeong-yeon reports.

[Reporter]

Democratic Party Representative Jung Chung-rae, who is likely to run for a consecutive term, emphasized the complete abolition of supplementary investigation authority again today (June 22), calling it the "period at the end of prosecution reform."

[Jung Chung-rae/Representative of the Democratic Party: I believe that even a trace of the supplementary investigation authority must be eliminated. The complete abolition of the supplementary investigation authority is the answer. The prosecution is a group that is truly difficult to fix and reuse....]

This comes three days after President Lee Jae-myung suggested on the 19th that completely blocking the supplementary investigation authority, even in exceptional cases, could lead to problems later. Some interpret Representative Jung's remarks as an attempt to highlight his clarity with the party's hardline supporters in mind.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who is expected to join the Democratic Party's leadership race after stepping down from his post at the end of this month, mentioned that the abolition of the supplementary investigation authority is inevitable but left room for maneuver, noting that the President's intentions are also important.

[Kim Min-seok/Prime Minister: I have the responsibility to advance the discussions held so far, including the intentions of the President, who is the top official in charge of state affairs.]

He also stated that the recent decline in the party's approval ratings could be dragging down the approval ratings for state affairs, adding that "the party must take much greater responsibility," which some interpreted as an indirect reference to the theory of Representative Jung's accountability.

Representative Song Young-gil, who will announce whether he will run for the party leadership race after returning from a business trip to the United States tomorrow, said it would not be too late for the new leadership to decide on the issue of supplementary investigation authority after it is launched.

[Song Young-gil/Democratic Party Representative (SBS 'Joo Young-jin's News Briefing'): They are using divisive attacks, as if this is the only reform, and that those who don't do it, including the President and Kim Min-seok, are anti-reform forces....]

Meanwhile, some within the Democratic Party have publicly demanded that the issue of supplementary investigation authority should be discussed by leaving clear exceptions, arguing that the issue is a quagmire that will drag the leadership race into a mudslinging fight.

(Video reporting: Oh Young-chun, Kim Yong-woo | Video editing: Nam Il | Design: Lee Jun-ho)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.