Kim Jong-min "Prosecutor Investigation and Indictment Completely Separated 'Season 2' Promotion... It's the Leadership's Idea"

Kim Jong-min, Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido on the 21st, delivering an opening remark. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] The Democratic Party of Korea is pushing for a 'Prosecution Reform Season 2' that completely separates investigative and prosecutorial powers.

Kim Jong-min, a senior supreme council member of the Democratic Party, appeared on TBS Radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' on the 23rd and said, "We plan to prepare special committees and other measures to proceed with full-scale discussions and public deliberations," adding, "Ultimately, we aim to completely separate investigation and prosecution, turning the prosecution into a prosecutorial agency, restoring the prosecution to its original role centered on prosecution and judicial control through institutional improvements and legal reforms."

He continued, "It might take some time. We also need to create a separate investigative body," and added, "Since police power could become excessive, social consensus on new alternatives is necessary."

He said that opinions within the party were gathered while observing the disciplinary process of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol. Kim said, "If the Ministry of Justice Minister's command and supervision are enforced, and at least the prosecution's excessive power is controlled and restrained, then legal amendments can be made more slowly," and emphasized, "Seeing the backlash against investigative command or disciplinary actions, the entire prosecution organization is determined to protect vested interests or not let go of them. This determination is tremendous. There is no solution other than legislation." When asked if this was the current ruling party leadership's perception, he replied, "You can see it that way."

Kim also said, "The basic policy was to have the prosecution itself become the subject of reform, but this has been broken," and added, "I did not realize it was this severe over the past year." Regarding the investigation related to former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, he said, "Prosecuting based solely on suspicion is completely derailed," and stated, "Looking at the investigations over the past year, there has basically been politically biased investigation: hostile investigations against regimes I dislike, protecting their own people, and overlooking political forces that somewhat oppose prosecution reform. Such suspicions have been accumulating continuously."

The prosecution and police investigative authority adjustment plan, set to be implemented from January 1 next year, allows the prosecution to conduct direct investigations only in six areas: corruption, economy, public officials, elections, defense industry crimes, and major disasters. The Democratic Party proposes to separate this as well, having the prosecution focus solely on prosecution.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.