President Lee Jae-myung said he would not exercise the right to request reconsideration (veto) of the amended Criminal Procedure Act that abolishes prosecutors' supplementary investigation authority. He also stressed that separating investigation and indictment is the normalization of the criminal justice system and "justice will prevail."
At a Cabinet meeting held at the Blue House on the 4th, President Lee said, "The amended Criminal Procedure Act was passed by the National Assembly, and there has been much controversy and disagreement over it," but added, "It is hard to see that the bill presents a grave enough situation to negate the National Assembly's legislative power, such as unconstitutionality, unenforceability, harm to the national interest, or infringement on the executive branch's inherent authority."
He added, "Exercising a veto is not something that can be done simply because there is a difference of opinion; according to constitutional scholars, it must run counter to the separation of powers and the constitutional order to deny the other branch's authority," and said, "In the current situation, it is hard to conclude that it has reached the level of negating legislative power."
President Lee also said, "Prosecutors have wielded excessive and concentrated authority across the criminal justice system, from investigation to indictment and warrant requests," adding, "Some groups within the prosecution have abused the authority to investigate for the sake of indictment without restraint, repeatedly making it a practice to bury existing cases or to conduct separate-case investigations and targeted investigations to punish someone predetermined."
He continued, "Separating investigation and indictment is the first step to normalize this abnormal criminal justice system," and said, "To protect people's lives more securely, every power institution, without exception, will be placed under the control of the people—an inevitable measure of 'justice will prevail.'"