'This administration has abandoned the public's lives and safety'
'Special prosecutor needed for Jeju disappearance case'
People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok on Wednesday criticized the abolition of prosecutors' supplementary investigation authority, saying it would leave "the public's safety and lives entirely in the hands of police."
Jang made the remarks while attending a forum titled "Public Safety – Controlling and Improving Police Authority to Close Cases," held at the National Assembly that morning. "In 24 days, the Prosecution Service will disappear from South Korea," he said, adding that "prosecutors' supplementary investigation authority will also be completely stripped away."
He continued, "Since the founding of the South Korean government, the basic framework of the criminal justice system has been for prosecutors to review police investigations once more, because that is the best way to protect the public from crime and prevent wrongful victims."
Jang cited the recent Jeju disappearance case, expressing concern that harm to the public would grow. "Just look at the recent case involving Senior Corporal Bu in Jeju," he said. "If Bu had not been able to close the case so easily, Jang Mi-ran might have been able to return to her family."
He went on to say, "At this very moment, no one knows how many other officers like Senior Corporal Bu there may be, or how many members of the public are suffering wrongful harm."
Jang then directed his criticism at the government and ruling party that pushed for the abolition of the supplementary investigation authority. "The argument of the Lee Jae Myung administration can be summed up in one line," he said. "If a problem arises, just fix it later. That is all."
He then asked, "Can the public who have been hurt and had their property taken through crime recover their losses simply because the system is fixed later?" He escalated his attack, saying, "The Lee Jae Myung administration is one that has abandoned the public's lives, safety and property."
Jang described the overhaul of the criminal justice system as a setback. "Ultimately, this is not reform but a setback," he said. "Who bears the harm from this setback? The public does."
He added, "The core of this revision is to legalize state violence by police," and said, "The essence of the problem is simply that police, prosecutors and courts each do their job properly."
He also called for a special prosecutor to investigate the Jeju disappearance case. "Leaving the investigation to the police is like leaving a fish shop in the care of a cat," Jang said. "Although only 24 days remain, I ask prosecutors to conduct this investigation thoroughly. Even if prosecutors cannot complete the investigation within 24 days, the National Assembly must begin discussions on introducing a special prosecutor to get to the bottom of this case."
raining@heraldcorp.com
