Song Young-gil: "Police Follow Power Much Better Than Prosecutors with Lawyer Status"

"One Organization Should Not Hold Both Investigation and Prosecution Rights... It's About Checks and Balances"
Democratic Party to Decide on Adopting 'Prosecution Complete Abolition' Party Stance at General Assembly on 12th

Song Young-gil, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Song Young-gil, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, claimed that regarding the so-called 'Geomsu Wanbak' (an abbreviation for the complete removal of prosecutorial investigative authority) being promoted by the Democratic Party, "Compared to prosecutors who have passed the judicial examination and hold lawyer status, the police are much less obedient to power."

In an interview with YTN on the 11th, former leader Song said, "The police have already conducted a search and seizure at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office over the issue of Mrs. Kim Hye-kyung's corporate card. They want to give even more (investigative authority) to such police."

He continued, "It is not right for one organization to hold both investigative and prosecutorial powers, so they should be separated to provide checks and balances," adding, "There is a desire (among party members) to check and prevent (the next Yoon Seok-yeol administration) from abusing power, as it is expected to be like a Mercedes-Benz without brakes."

Earlier, the People Power Party strongly opposed the Democratic Party's push for Geomsu Wanbak, claiming it was intended to obstruct investigations into key figures of the Moon Jae-in administration. Former leader Song's remarks are interpreted as an attempt to refute such claims.

Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, stated at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly the day before, "I am truly concerned about who the complete removal of prosecutorial investigative authority is for," and argued, "It contains intentions to obstruct investigations and a refusal to accept the results of the presidential election defeat."

The Democratic Party plans to decide whether to adopt the so-called 'Complete Prosecution Reform' party stance through a party members' meeting on the 12th. / Photo by Yonhap News

He added, "The Democratic Party is pushing Geomsu Wanbak by framing it as a battle between prosecutorial reform and a prosecutorial republic, suggesting that 'if Yoon Seok-yeol, a former prosecutor general, wins the presidency, he will use the prosecution to create a prosecutorial republic.'"

Geomsu Wanbak is an issue the Democratic Party is promoting as the second phase of prosecutorial reform. It gained momentum as a response to President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's pledge to expand prosecutorial investigative authority in the next administration.

Under the amended Criminal Procedure Act and Prosecutors' Office Act, which have been in effect since January last year, investigative authority between the police and prosecution was adjusted once. As a result, the scope of direct investigations by prosecutors is currently limited to six major crimes (corruption, economic crimes, public officials, elections, defense industry, and major disasters as defined by presidential decree). Geomsu Wanbak argues that prosecutorial investigative authority should be completely separated even for these six major crimes.

The Democratic Party plans to decide whether to adopt Geomsu Wanbak as a party stance at a party members' meeting on the 12th.

In this regard, Yoon Ho-jung, co-chair of the Democratic Party's Emergency Response Committee, emphasized at the National Assembly's emergency meeting on the 11th, "The prosecutorial reform that the National Assembly is trying to discuss aims to transform the prosecution from one with vested interests and privileges into a normal prosecution," adding, "The prosecution is a place that upholds social justice, not a place for political activities."

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