Democratic Party Lawmakers Express Concern Over Full Abolition of Prosecutors' Supplementary Investigation Powers

Amid discussions within the Democratic Party of Korea, opinions have emerged calling for deliberation within the party regarding the potential negative consequences of completely abolishing the prosecution's 'supplementary investigation rights,' it was confirmed on July 2. 'Supplementary investigation rights' refer to the authority of prosecutors to request the submission of materials or conduct investigations by other investigative agencies, such as the police, when additional information or evidence is needed during a case investigation.

A first-term lawmaker from the Seoul metropolitan area proposed specific conditions, suggesting that supplementary investigation rights be conditionally recognized only for cases where the police have already sent a recommendation for indictment, and that the right to request such investigations be excluded in cases related to separate investigations. A senior lawmaker with a background in law pointed out the need to prepare countermeasures after the abolition of supplementary investigation rights in situations where evidence might be destroyed, the statute of limitations is nearing expiration, or serious human rights violations have occurred during police investigations.

As discussions on the complete abolition of supplementary investigation rights intensify among party leadership hopefuls ahead of the party's national convention in August, Han Byeong-do, acting party leader and floor leader, has launched a task force to amend the Criminal Procedure Act and instructed them to devise relevant measures. Party officials, including Kim Han-gyu, chief deputy floor leader for policy, held an initial meeting on July 2 to establish a party discussion body and stated their intention to swiftly move forward with concretizing legislation by synthesizing proposed bills and existing discussions.