Jeong Jeom-sik, the floor leader of the People Power Party and a former prosecutor, expressed his sorrow on October 2, stating, "We could not prevent the death of South Korea's crime investigation system. I apologize to the public."
During a National Assembly audit meeting, Jeong declared, "As of today, the prosecution has been abolished, and supplementary investigations by the prosecution have disappeared. The crime investigation system in South Korea is now dead."
He acknowledged, "There have certainly been mistakes made by prosecutors throughout the 78-year history of the prosecution. We must reflect on our wrongdoings. However, is it really a solution to eliminate the entire system just because of these mistakes? Is breaking everything apart the answer?"
After taking a deep breath twice, Jeong struggled to continue speaking. A silence fell over the meeting room, and Jeong Hee-yong, the party's secretary-general, comforted him by rubbing his shoulder. After taking a sip of water and gathering himself, Jeong continued, his voice trembling.
He noted that since the adjustment of investigative powers between the prosecution and police under the Moon Jae-in administration in 2021, the average processing time for criminal cases has increased from 140 days to 312 days, a rise of 2.2 times.
Jeong pointed to issues that have arisen since the adjustment of investigative powers, including the cover-up of investigations by corrupt police in cases such as the murder of Jang Yoon-ki and the false conclusion of the Jeju missing persons case, as well as lenient actions taken by police against powerful figures like lawmakers Kim Byeong-ki and Jang Gyeong-tae. He criticized the high-ranking public officials' crime investigation unit for becoming a Gestapo-like entity under the current regime.
He stated, "The so-called 'prosecutorial reform' that harms the public and benefits the Democratic Party was not enough; they dismantled the prosecution and abolished supplementary investigative powers," calling it a historical crime that has pushed public safety into a dead end for their political gain.
Jeong concluded, "I will start anew. I will work to normalize the criminal justice system and restore South Korea's system. The first step in normalizing the system is to restore the prosecution's supplementary investigations. I will propose and push for a bill to restore supplementary investigations."
After finishing his remarks, Jeong removed his glasses and wiped away his tears with a handkerchief. Throughout the meeting, he could not hide his troubled expression whenever the topic of judicial system reform was mentioned.
During a National Assembly audit meeting, Jeong declared, "As of today, the prosecution has been abolished, and supplementary investigations by the prosecution have disappeared. The crime investigation system in South Korea is now dead."
He acknowledged, "There have certainly been mistakes made by prosecutors throughout the 78-year history of the prosecution. We must reflect on our wrongdoings. However, is it really a solution to eliminate the entire system just because of these mistakes? Is breaking everything apart the answer?"
After taking a deep breath twice, Jeong struggled to continue speaking. A silence fell over the meeting room, and Jeong Hee-yong, the party's secretary-general, comforted him by rubbing his shoulder. After taking a sip of water and gathering himself, Jeong continued, his voice trembling.
He noted that since the adjustment of investigative powers between the prosecution and police under the Moon Jae-in administration in 2021, the average processing time for criminal cases has increased from 140 days to 312 days, a rise of 2.2 times.
Jeong pointed to issues that have arisen since the adjustment of investigative powers, including the cover-up of investigations by corrupt police in cases such as the murder of Jang Yoon-ki and the false conclusion of the Jeju missing persons case, as well as lenient actions taken by police against powerful figures like lawmakers Kim Byeong-ki and Jang Gyeong-tae. He criticized the high-ranking public officials' crime investigation unit for becoming a Gestapo-like entity under the current regime.
He stated, "The so-called 'prosecutorial reform' that harms the public and benefits the Democratic Party was not enough; they dismantled the prosecution and abolished supplementary investigative powers," calling it a historical crime that has pushed public safety into a dead end for their political gain.
Jeong concluded, "I will start anew. I will work to normalize the criminal justice system and restore South Korea's system. The first step in normalizing the system is to restore the prosecution's supplementary investigations. I will propose and push for a bill to restore supplementary investigations."
After finishing his remarks, Jeong removed his glasses and wiped away his tears with a handkerchief. Throughout the meeting, he could not hide his troubled expression whenever the topic of judicial system reform was mentioned.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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