People Power Party floor leader Jung Jeom-sik (left) meets with Justice Minister Jung Seok-jun at the National Assembly on Wednesday. [Yonhap]
People Power Party floor leader Jung Jeom-sik (left) meets with Justice Minister Jung Seok-jun at the National Assembly on Wednesday. [Yonhap]

People Power Party floor leader Jung Jeom-sik and Justice Minister Jung Seok-jun confirmed their differing positions Wednesday over whether prosecutors should retain supplementary investigation powers.

Jung, the floor leader, raised the case of Jang Yun-gi during a courtesy visit by the minister to the National Assembly, saying "there is a strong likelihood that this case would have been concealed forever had prosecutors not conducted supplementary investigations." He said the powers must be preserved "not for the sake of prosecutors, but to wipe away the tears of victims — to ensure, as the title of a book published by the Justice Ministry puts it, that 'crimes cannot sleep and grievances are not forgotten.'"

He went on to say that abolishing the supplementary investigation powers would amount to what he called "gyeongsuwandok" — a complete police monopoly on investigative authority. He argued that some within the Democratic Party who claim it is sufficient to give prosecutors only the right to request supplementary investigations are mistaken, warning that such an arrangement would either cause cases to be endlessly passed back and forth with no deadline, or force authorities to release detained suspects before requesting further investigation.

He said he understood that "the respected minister and President Lee Jae Myung had clearly held the view that supplementary investigation powers should be at least partially preserved," adding that "it is difficult to accept the sudden 180-degree reversal toward full abolition."

He also criticized the Lee Jae Myung administration, saying it appeared to prioritize "venting the frustrations of the Democratic Party's hardcore supporters over seeing the tears of victims."

Minister Jung said "the most important thing in the criminal justice system is ensuring that victims are not left with a sense of injustice," but added that "the government's basic position is to proceed with abolishing the supplementary investigation powers."

He said the National Assembly holds the final legislative authority and urged ruling and opposition parties to discuss the matter thoroughly. He also made a personal appeal to the floor leader, saying, "You are an exceptionally accomplished legal professional — I sincerely ask that you participate in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and convey your concerns there."

The minister also said he expected the second half of the Assembly's term to be "very turbulent," and said it was his personal conviction that "while a majority party can ultimately put any bill to a vote, the ruling and opposition parties must meet and consult sufficiently before reaching that point."

He also noted that a man in Seongnam had killed a woman he was dating a few days earlier, and called on the opposition to actively engage in discussions on legislation addressing relationship-based crimes such as stalking, saying such bills needed to be processed quickly.

After a 10-minute closed-door meeting, Minister Jung spoke to reporters. Asked why the government had reversed its earlier opposition to stripping prosecutors of all supplementary investigation powers, he said, "I have rarely said that supplementary investigation powers should be retained."

He said the government had concluded that the powers should be abolished, and that its basic position was to "ensure that sufficient safeguards are put in place to address concerns that may arise from abolition, and to firmly establish alternatives."

Asked about widespread public concern over the change, he said measures must be developed to ensure that requests for supplementary investigation carry real effect. He added that creating institutional mechanisms to prevent police from abusing their expanded authority was important, and that he believed such concerns "can be sufficiently addressed through legislation."


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