Han Byung-do, acting leader and floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said internal discussions on abolishing prosecutors' supplementary investigation powers have "fully ripened" and that it is now "time to unite the party's collective will."
Speaking at a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly on Wednesday, Han said the Democratic Party would "make the right to request supplementary investigations substantive and hold investigative agencies clearly accountable for carrying out such requests swiftly and faithfully," adding that the party would "establish mechanisms of oversight and cooperation suited to the new criminal justice system."
Han said that "'prosecutors do not investigate' is both the starting point and the completion of prosecutorial reform — the separation of investigation from indictment," adding that "there is no dissent within the party on this fundamental principle."
He went on to say that "differences in detail must not be allowed to shake the principle of separating investigation from indictment, or become a means of reviving prosecutors' investigative powers." What remains, he said, is "only fierce debate aimed at building a better system — one that includes mutual checks and cooperation among investigative agencies, and measures to protect victims."
Han also said the party had "listened carefully to the argument that supplementary investigation powers are needed to protect victims," and that he "deeply sympathizes with the urgent voices saying that not a single victim should be left in the gaps of the system."
"That is precisely why victim protection must not be left to the goodwill or discretion of any particular agency," he said. "We must build a system in which everyone receives equal and robust protection from the state."
Han said the claim that "prosecutors must investigate directly in order to protect victims is not true when you look back at the dark history of the past prosecution," adding that "there are more than enough cases where prosecutors turned a blind eye, downplayed, or buried the truth."
On specifics, he said the party would establish a "cross-investigation system in which police and the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency check each other," while strengthening investigative review and external oversight. He added that the party would also "more robustly guarantee victims' rights to file objections, access case records, and receive legal assistance."
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