The Democratic Party has proposed an amendment to the Criminal Procedure Law that aims to completely abolish prosecutors' supplementary investigation rights in line with the upcoming establishment of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the Public Prosecution Agency in October.
On the afternoon of July 9, lawmakers Kim Han-kyu, Kim Seung-won, Park Sang-hyuk, and Lee Hae-sik, who are part of the task force handling the amendment within the Democratic Party, submitted the proposal to the National Assembly's Office of Legislation.
Kim Han-kyu stated, "This amendment can be divided into three main parts: adjusting investigative authority in line with the establishment of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the Public Prosecution Agency, strengthening oversight and supervision of investigative agencies, and enhancing protections for victims and complainants."
He explained that the adjustment of investigative authority involves clarifying that the investigative authority is primarily held by the judicial police throughout the Criminal Procedure Law, while also strengthening corrective measures and the rights to request supplementary and re-investigations, allowing the Public Prosecution Agency to oversee investigative agencies.
Kim added, "Currently, there is no deadline for investigative agencies to complete supplementary investigations. The amendment stipulates that judicial police must complete investigations within one month and allows prosecutors to request supplementary investigations based on their judgment." He also noted that the corrective measure request would enable judicial police to transfer cases to other investigative agencies if they deem themselves unsuitable to handle the case.
Furthermore, he mentioned that the task force is not only focusing on adjusting investigative authority but also on enhancing the rights of victims and complainants, ensuring accurate assessments of facts during investigative procedures. He emphasized that these strengthened powers and expanded sanctions are intended to prepare measures to control potential abuses of investigative authority by prosecutors resulting from the adjustments.
In light of recent public concerns regarding the fairness of police investigations, particularly following the 'Jang Yoon-ki incident,' the task force announced plans to develop measures to prevent such issues.
Lee Hae-sik, the ruling party's secretary of the National Assembly's Administrative Safety Committee, remarked, "Discussions on how to oversee the strengthening of police authority have been ongoing for a long time. We aim to substantiate the Police Commission as a key measure. In the long term, efforts to decentralize police authority through the introduction of a local police system are necessary."
Meanwhile, since the task force has prepared the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Law, discussions are expected to begin promptly within the National Assembly's Legislative Judiciary Committee.
Kim Seung-won, the ruling party's secretary of the Legislative Judiciary Committee and chair of the first subcommittee on bill review, stated, "The proposed amendment will be reviewed in the subcommittee starting at 10 a.m. on July 10, and we will do our utmost to establish a swift and fair criminal justice system."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.