[Column] The Bitter Reason Behind the Ruling Party's Push for a Special Prosecutor on 'LH Speculation Allegations'

Moon Administration's Biggest Task 'Power Agency Reform'
Granting Investigation Rights to Police but Losing Them Again?
Reform Principles Vanish Before Upcoming Elections
Sacrifice Falls on Dutiful Police Officers

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] As suspicions of speculation by employees of the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) in new town areas have become a 'typhoon' in political and governmental circles, the ruling party is pushing for the introduction of a special prosecutor. Seoul mayoral candidate Park Young-sun initiated the move, and Kim Tae-nyeon, acting leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, responded by proposing a special prosecutor to the opposition party. This is seen as recognizing the seriousness of the situation, which has sparked public outrage, and taking an active stance in response.

However, there is an unavoidable bittersweet feeling. The current body investigating this case is the National Police Agency’s National Investigation Headquarters (NIH). Reforming power institutions, including the adjustment of investigative authority between the prosecution and police, was one of the key tasks of the Moon Jae-in administration. The background that allows the police to take full responsibility for investigating the LH case also lies in the reform of the investigative structure. Although President Moon Jae-in emphasized the need for cooperation between the police and prosecution regarding this case, under the investigative authority adjustment implemented in January this year, it currently does not fall within the prosecution’s direct investigation scope. The fact that the police have taken the lead reflects the will of the current government and ruling party.

The LH case can be said to be the first real test for the NIH. Although it officially launched in January, this is the first major case since Nam Gu-jun took office as head of the NIH. The police have prepared various institutional measures and strengthened investigative expertise to establish a 'responsible investigation' system. Assigning veteran investigators as investigation reviewers and warrant reviewers at police stations of all levels, expanding the objection system related to case handling, and selecting specialized investigators were all done to realize responsible investigations by the police.

In that sense, this case is both a crisis and an opportunity for the police. If the police fail to properly investigate a matter of great public interest, they will face harsh criticism. However, if they demonstrate their investigative capabilities and break the deeply rooted chain of corruption, they can gain public trust and take a step closer to becoming a 'police force respected and loved by the people.' Therefore, the police are enthusiastically engaging in the investigation of this case. Forming dedicated investigation teams in 18 metropolitan and provincial police agencies nationwide and deploying 770 personnel to the government joint special investigation headquarters are just some of the ways they are showing their determination. Even at this moment, frontline police investigators are likely reviewing various materials and rushing around to find clues.

That is why the current ruling party’s discussion of a special prosecutor is regrettable. The push for a special prosecutor shortly after demanding a swift and strict investigation by the police inevitably implies 'distrust in the police' or 'an attempt to appease angry public sentiment ahead of elections.' In any case, it is no different from turning the power institution reform, a major task they themselves promoted for the immediate upcoming elections, into a scrap of paper. This could also signal that the power institution reform, which focused on decentralization of authority, fair investigations, and protection of human rights, was not genuinely pursued.

From the public’s perspective, as long as proper results are produced and wrongdoings corrected, the investigative body may not matter much. In some ways, it can be seen that the ruling party launched the 'winning move' of a special prosecutor to soothe public anger and prevent negative impacts on the election. However, those sacrificed in the process are the police officers who have quietly done their assigned duties. If they are deprived of the opportunity to demonstrate the investigative know-how they have accumulated, they will inevitably lose motivation. A NIH official said about the introduction of a special prosecutor, "I cannot comment on what the political circles are doing," adding, "If a special prosecutor is appointed, we will typically comply with requests for materials, and the investigation headquarters will continue separately." If this happens, the police will be reduced from the main body of 'responsible investigation' to a 'sidekick' of the special prosecutor. Can we not trust and watch the police who are currently doing their best? After all, the responsibility for the investigation results will ultimately rest with the police.

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