Jeong Refutes ‘Disagreements on Prosecutorial Reform’… Min Hyung-bae Questions, “Is the Minister Faithful to His Duty by Expressing Personal Opinions?”
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporters Kwak Min-seo and Ahn Jung-hoon – Tensions are rising between the ruling party and the government over the direction of prosecutorial reform being pursued by the Democratic Party of Korea.
Differences have emerged regarding the oversight of the proposed Major Crimes Investigation Agency and the abolition of prosecutorial supplementary investigation rights during the process of separating investigation and prosecution powers.
Voices within the Democratic Party have publicly criticized Minister of Justice Jeong Seong-ho, who is the counterpart in the prosecutorial reform discussions.
On the 27th at the National Assembly, Democratic Party’s Prosecutorial Reform Special Committee Chairman Min Hyung-bae, in response to questions about Minister Jeong’s stance on re-discussing the complete abolition of prosecutorial supplementary investigation rights, stated, “The party leadership thinks the minister might be overstepping.”
Rep. Min added, “Such content is not in the special committee’s proposal, nor was it agreed upon or discussed with the government,” indicating that the minister was expressing a personal opinion.
Min also expressed concerns regarding Minister Jeong’s reservations about establishing the Major Crimes Investigation Agency under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, saying, “The party hasn’t stated its position, so I wonder if the minister is being faithful to his duty.”
He further pointed out, “It seems the minister is unaware of our special committee’s draft.” He systematically refuted Minister Jeong’s claims by presenting the party leadership’s standpoint.
Kim Yong-min, another lawmaker who has spearheaded the so-called “Four Prosecutorial Reform Laws” and has been leading related discussions, also commented on Facebook, “Changing things doesn’t mean it’s reform,” and cautioned against forgetting the starting point of why the reform is being pursued.
Previously, Minister Jeong had expressed concerns that placing the police, the National Investigation Headquarters, and the Major Crimes Investigation Agency under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety could lead to a concentration of power and adverse effects.
His position is to send all cases, including those the police decide not to prosecute, to the prosecution and to discuss rather than fully abolish the prosecution’s supplementary investigation rights.
In contrast, the Democratic Party largely believes that to perfectly separate investigation and prosecution, the Major Crimes Investigation Agency should be under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
The logic is that if the agency is placed under the Ministry of Justice, it may essentially allow the existing prosecution office to maintain its influence.
The special committee plans to first establish a draft reform plan and continue discussions with the government. The aim is to prioritize the passing of amendments to the Government Organization Act for the separation of prosecution and investigation at the National Assembly plenary session on the 25th of next month.