As clashes intensified between the parties at The National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee over a Criminal Procedure Act amendment centered on the complete abolition of prosecutors' supplementary investigation authority, the parties held back-to-back press conferences and collided head-on. The People Power Party condemned the Democratic Party of Korea for unilaterally pushing the amendment, calling it "a legislative outrage that destroys the public's last judicial safety net," while the Democratic Party immediately countered, saying, "Stop the false agitation."
At a People Power Party Legislation and Judiciary Committee members' press conference held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 29th, Rep. Park Hyung-soo said, "The Democratic Party unilaterally rammed through the Criminal Procedure Act amendment at the first subcommittee of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee," adding, "Abolishing the authority for supplementary investigations removes the last mechanism to uncover the substantive truth when police investigations are insufficient, ultimately leaving victims unprotected and allowing heinous criminals to slip through the legal net."
He went on to criticize, "They forced the bill through according to a script written while excluding the People Power Party," and said, "Reform without public consent is arrogance and nothing more than personal revenge against the prosecution."
The People Power Party also said of the remedies proposed by the Democratic Party that "mere requests for supplementary investigations are ineffective and can cause case delays and evidence loss," calling it "a hasty piece of legislation that shakes the foundation of the criminal justice system."
In response, the Democratic Party of Korea immediately held a rebuttal press conference and flatly denied the People Power Party's claims. Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Seung-won said, "The People Power Party is stoking public anxiety with claims that do not match the facts," and noted, "The Criminal Procedure Act amendment is a fully deliberated product after multiple meetings and discussions."
Kim said, "The claim that abolishing the authority for supplementary investigations ignores human rights is also untrue," explaining, "Rather, it strengthens victims' rights and procedural controls to expand basic rights." He added, "The absence of prosecutors' direct investigations does not create an investigative vacuum; instead, it separates the roles of the police and the prosecution to enhance accountability."
Meanwhile, the People Power Party plans to refer the Criminal Procedure Act amendment to the agenda coordination committee on the day. If it is referred to the agenda coordination committee, up to 90 days of deliberation is guaranteed, but because the structure includes equal numbers from the ruling and opposition parties as well as seats for non-negotiating blocs, it is highly likely to be closed with the approval of two-thirds of the incumbent members.