Jung Chung-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on the 17th that "through close coordination among the party, government, and presidential office, we have drawn up a unified prosecution reform plan," adding, "We will handle the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency Act and the Public Prosecution Service Act at the plenary session on the 19th as agreed by the party, government, and presidential office."
At an emergency press conference at the National Assembly the same day, Leader Jung said, "Prosecution reform is the banner and symbol of the Lee Jae-myung administration and the Democratic Party of Korea," adding, "With rock-solid cooperation among the party, government, and presidential office, we will pass the prosecution reform bills."
Leader Jung said, "The main framework of the party-government-presidential office consultative plan is the grand principle of separating investigation and indictment," adding, "We deleted several provisions related to the prohibition on public prosecutors of the Public Prosecution Service directing or intervening in investigations, which the public had been concerned about." He also said, "We made clear that prosecutors are administrative public officials, and ensured that principles such as personnel, discipline, reassignment, and appointments in accordance with the State Public Officials Act are observed equally with other administrative public officials," adding, "By enabling democratic oversight of the prosecution, a genuine foundation for separating investigation and indictment will be established."
Leader Jung emphasized, "Thanks to President Lee Jae-myung's determination toward prosecution reform, we were able to uphold the grand principle of separating investigation and indictment," adding, "Because the party carefully coordinated this, there is not the slightest disagreement among the party, government, and presidential office. Therefore, we hope there will be no further controversy related to prosecution reform."
Rep. Kim Yong-min, the Democratic Party's secretary on the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, explained the specific consultative plan among the party, government, and presidential office. Kim said, "We eliminated the possibility of prosecutors securing investigative authority indirectly, abolished prosecutors' excessive command authority, and established a peer-to-peer cooperation system among institutions to revive the original intent as an agency dedicated to indictments," adding, "We improved the rigid, top-down culture centered on the prosecutor general." Controversial provisions, such as command authority over special judicial police, were deleted. In addition, the period for handling existing cases after the law takes effect was shortened from six months to 90 days.
Floor leader Han Byung-do explained the specific schedule for handling the prosecution reform bills. Han said, "At 1:30 p.m. on the 17th, we will proceed with the procedure to change the party line based on the finalized agreement," adding, "In the afternoon, we will convene subcommittees of the Public Administration and Security Committee and the Legislation and Judiciary Committee to attempt to pass, at the standing committee level, bills reflecting the revised party line; on the morning of the 18th, we will hold a full meeting of the Public Administration and Security Committee to handle the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency Act; and on the afternoon of the 18th, we will hold a full meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee to complete votes on the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency Act and the Public Prosecution Service Act." On the 19th, the plan is to hold a plenary session and pass the bills.