Debate over prosecutors' supplementary investigation powers enters new phase

The debate over abolishing prosecutors' supplementary investigation powers — a key push by the Democratic Party of Korea — appears to be entering a new phase.

The so-called Jang Yun-gi case, in which prosecutors' supplementary investigations uncovered signs that police had concealed or downplayed a serious crime, has given fresh momentum to voices within the Democratic Party calling for at least partial retention of those powers. The People Power Party, meanwhile, has introduced legislation as its official party position to preserve the supplementary investigation powers and is reviewing the creation of a dedicated task force to coordinate its response.

Speaking at a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly on Wednesday, Democratic Party acting leader and floor leader Han Byung-do said the party would hold an additional policy caucus next week to debate the issue more intensively. "For the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the Public Prosecution Service to launch on Oct. 2, legislation must be completed on time, with sufficient deliberation," he said.

Against that backdrop, 11 Democratic Party lawmakers introduced legislation Tuesday opposing the outright abolition of prosecutors' supplementary investigation powers. Although the party leadership has maintained that abolition is its stated position, the move made internal dissent publicly visible, as some members proposed retaining the powers in some form.

Rep. Kim Nam-hee, a lawyer and former member of People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, appeared on SBS Radio on Wednesday and said "many lawmakers voiced concerns at Tuesday's caucus, and there was a sympathetic mood in the room." She added that many members appeared to agree that pushing ahead recklessly was a concern and that the party needed to persuade the public or win their understanding through dialogue.

As sentiment within the Democratic Party shifts, the People Power Party is pouring its energy into a public opinion campaign. A PPP official said the party was "considering every available option to focus on the public opinion battle" and was also reviewing the need to establish a dedicated body to handle the issue systematically.

The party also plans to introduce its Criminal Procedure Act amendment — aimed at preserving the supplementary investigation powers — as an official party bill on Thursday. Rep. Gwak Gyu-taek told YTN Radio on Wednesday that the bill was "in the final stages of coordination, with some wording still being refined."

Calls for an open public debate on the issue have also emerged in political circles. Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon wrote on Facebook Tuesday urging Democratic Party members who favor abolition — including Rep. Kim Han-gyu — to stop confining discussions to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, which he said the party controls, and instead hold an open debate before the public.

Rep. Kim Han-gyu responded on his own Facebook page, effectively rejecting the proposal. "Instead of playing to the media, come to the National Assembly and introduce a bill," he wrote, adding that any bill submitted would be taken up in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.

Within the PPP itself, observers doubt that either side would actually agree to an open debate. A party official said the PPP was "already holding its own forums." The party hosted a forum at the National Assembly on Tuesday under the theme "The investigative vacuum exposed by the Jang Yun-gi case and the need for supplementary investigation powers," and is considering holding additional sessions.

The Democratic Party on Wednesday convened the first legislative subcommittee of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee on its own and continued deliberations on the Criminal Procedure Act amendment to abolish prosecutors' supplementary investigation powers.

Some in political circles have suggested that the PPP would do well to enter the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and engage in vigorous debate there. However, a PPP official said the party had wanted the committee chairmanship from the outset, and that since those negotiations had in effect fallen through, it had no choice but to continue its boycott of standing committees unless the opposition agreed to give the PPP the right to recommend candidates for the special prosecutor overseeing the National Election Commission.