Jung Chung-rae welcomes government's move to scrap prosecutors' supplementary investigation powers

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok announces government's final position to abolish supplementary investigation powers

Democratic Party vows 'irreversible, complete abolition' through National Assembly

Jung Chung-rae, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, welcomed Prime Minister Kim Min-seok's announcement Thursday that the government had finalized its position to abolish prosecutors' supplementary investigation powers.

Jung shared Kim's announcement on Facebook, welcoming the move and urging the government to prepare for a complete abolition through its enforcement decrees as well. "The National Assembly will push through an irreversible, complete abolition — so please prepare the enforcement decrees accordingly," he said.

In a separate Facebook post, Jung said there was no reason to delay. "Full abolition of supplementary investigation powers — no need to drag this out. Right now," he said.

Kim held a briefing Thursday on current affairs and announced that the government had "finalized the abolition of supplementary investigation powers as its basic position," addressing one of the central disputes in the revision of the Code of Criminal Procedure aimed at prosecutorial reform.

Kim said the fundamental principle behind the Lee Jae Myung government's prosecutorial reform drive was the separation of investigation and indictment. "This is the core principle of reform aimed at more rationally redefining prosecutorial authority and more robustly protecting the basic rights of citizens," he said.

He added that the government had decided not to submit a separate bill, saying it judged that doing so would allow for freer deliberation in the National Assembly.

Kim also said it would be preferable for the specific institutional design and legislation to be decided through sufficient discussion and deliberation in the National Assembly. He added that the government could provide reference materials drawn from opinions it had gathered, if needed during the legislative process.

The announcement marks a departure from the earlier position of an advisory committee under the prime minister's office-affiliated prosecutorial reform task force, which had argued that supplementary investigation powers should be retained.

Kim's decision to personally step forward and confirm the government's position is widely seen as reflecting his judgment that the abolition issue could become a flashpoint at the Democratic Party's national convention, which he is expected to enter as a candidate in August.

Observers also note that the move comes as President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating has been declining following the June 3 local elections and the appointment of Han Chan-sik as the new Cheong Wa Dae civil affairs secretary — signs that the party's traditional base may be drifting away — prompting the government to clarify its stance on abolition.

Meanwhile, at a recent press conference marking his first anniversary in office, President Lee said his view had not changed regarding his earlier position that there may be a need to allow for exceptions to the abolition of supplementary investigation powers, but added that he had decided to "leave the conclusion to the National Assembly."

shindw@heraldcorp.com