A special investigation team from the Korean National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters leaves the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency after conducting a search and seizure on Saturday. The team has been investigating allegations of collusion surrounding the Jang Yun-gi case. [Yonhap]
A special investigation team from the Korean National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters leaves the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency after conducting a search and seizure on Saturday. The team has been investigating allegations of collusion surrounding the Jang Yun-gi case. [Yonhap]

More than six in 10 respondents said prosecutors should directly investigate cases in which problems arise during a police inquiry — such as in the so-called Jang Yun-gi case — according to a new poll.

The Reform Party announced Sunday that the survey was conducted by its think tank, the Reform Research Institute, from Saturday through Sunday among 518 men and women aged 18 and older nationwide. The poll carried a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level, with a response rate of 0.79 percent.

When asked what should happen if problems emerge during a police investigation, 65.5 percent of respondents said prosecutors should handle the case directly, while 26.5 percent said police should reinvestigate.

Even in cases where the police investigation itself is suspected of being flawed, 64.0 percent said prosecutors should take over directly — outpacing the 29.3 percent who said a different police unit or the National Investigation Headquarters should conduct the probe.

On a proposal to abolish prosecutors' supplementary investigation authority and instead require police to reinvestigate at prosecutors' request, 49.3 percent of respondents said such an arrangement would make it difficult to ensure proper external oversight. Some 36.6 percent said external checks could still be maintained under such a system.

The Democratic Party of Korea on Thursday introduced a party-line bill to amend the Code of Criminal Procedure that would abolish prosecutors' supplementary investigation authority and require police to comply with any such request within two months.

Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok speaks at a supreme council meeting at the National Assembly on Thursday. [Yonhap]
Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok speaks at a supreme council meeting at the National Assembly on Thursday. [Yonhap]

mp1256@heraldcorp.com