Jung Chung-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, again stressed abolishing prosecutors' supplementary investigation power. After defining prosecution reform as the Democratic Party's "flag and symbol," Jung repeatedly emphasized the principle of a complete separation of investigation and indictment, citing the need to abolish supplementary investigation power.
On the morning of the 22nd, at a supreme council meeting held at the National Assembly, Jung referred to the four-month prison sentence handed down for perjury before the National Assembly in the case involving former Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor for Peace Lee Hwa-young's "salmon drinking party," saying, "The Ministry of Justice and the High Prosecutors' Office looked into this case, but the materials were not submitted to the court," and added, "I cannot understand whether this was collusion by the prosecution."
Jung went on to say, "Watching the former vice governor's trial, I thought the prosecution is a group that is hard to rewrite," adding, "The core of prosecution reform is the complete separation of investigation and indictment, and we must make it certain that the prosecution, which is biding its time for a chance to keep investigation powers, cannot even dream of it."
He added, "Even if you give them a spoonful of supplementary investigation power, they could forge it into a sword and you never know when they might point it at the administration," noting, "Judging from the prosecution's behavior so far, it is entirely possible."
Jung also took a hard line last week on abolishing supplementary investigation power. On the morning of the 19th at a supreme council meeting, he said, "Prosecution reform is the flag and symbol of Democratic Party government reform, and the complete separation of investigation and indictment is the Democratic Party's irreversible party line." He added, "As it is the governing philosophy and goal of the Lee Jae-myung administration, completely abolishing supplementary investigation power is only natural."