President Lee Jae-myung again noted that fully abolishing prosecutors' supplemental investigation authority could cause side effects. He said that if the authority is discussed without considering political gain, it is "a problem that can be resolved sufficiently." On tensions between the ruling camp and the presidential office, he assessed them as "a process to do better."
That afternoon, at a briefing at the Chunchugwan press center at the Blue House on the results of his Europe trip, including the Group of Seven (G7) summit, Lee said, "It is right not to conduct supplemental investigations, but if we block even the most exceptional cases where there is no room for abuse, problems will arise later."
He added, "Under the strictest minimum conditions, only the bare minimum; if abuse is a concern, then make sure it cannot be abused," and said, "You should not give up making soy sauce because you fear maggots; find where maggots might arise and block it. If it truly seems impossible to block, it is not too late to give up making soy sauce then."
He also reaffirmed the principle of leaving the matter of supplemental investigation authority to the National Assembly. Lee said, "I basically agree with abolishing the supplemental investigation authority, but I handed it over to the National Assembly to prevent politicization," adding, "I will do as proposed; since authority has been given, responsibility will also be taken."
He stressed, "The truth is to exclude the possibility of abuse and discuss it fully," and added, "If this is not approached as 'I should seek some political gain,' I think it can be sufficiently discussed and resolved."
On the relationship between the Blue House and the Democratic Party, he said, "They are identical in some ways and different entities in others," adding, "Naturally, they can encourage each other to do well, and if something is wrong, it can be pointed out." He also said, "It may look to you like there is tremendous conflict, but I think it is a process to do better."
In particular, regarding Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae's absence from the send-off event, he said, "It is not exactly a pleasant thing when many people line up when departing or returning from overseas," adding, "When leaving this time, I thought, 'Do we really need to do this?' and a situation arose where some were unable to attend."
He added, "The original purpose of a political party, as written in the Constitution, is to seize power and be chosen by the people through elections," and said, "Politics must always be inclusive. It is difficult to represent the people by gathering only those who fundamentally agree."
Meanwhile, that morning at the supreme council meeting, leader Jung again brought up the full abolition of prosecutors' supplemental investigation authority. Jung said, "Fully abolishing the supplemental investigation authority is only natural," adding, "If there are prosecutors who still cannot let go of their attachment to investigative powers, they need to wake up from that dream."