DPK Faces Deepening Rift Over "Supplementary Investigation Authority and Party Merger"

Policy General Assembly on Prosecutorial Reform, Meeting with First-Term Lawmakers
Underlying Power Struggle over Party Leadership and the Presidency

On February 5, the Democratic Party of Korea will continue its internal discussions on prosecutorial reform and the proposed merger with another party, holding a policy general assembly of lawmakers and a separate meeting with first-term lawmakers. As both agendas involve significant differences of opinion among party members, there are concerns that internal resentment within the party could deepen.

At the policy general assembly to be held this afternoon, the authority to request supplementary investigations is expected to be the main issue. Previously, in relation to the government’s pre-announced bill to establish the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the Prosecution Service, there were sharp differences of opinion both within the government and within the party over two key points: first, the plan to split the positions of investigators at the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency into "investigative judicial officers" and "specialized investigators," and second, whether the authority to request supplementary investigations should be maintained or abolished.

Jung Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party, is speaking at a Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on Feb. 4, 2026. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Regarding the dual-track investigator system, the government appears to have stepped back, effectively bringing the conflict to a temporary close. It is now expected that the investigator positions will be unified into a single rank structure from Grade 1 to Grade 9, without creating a separate "investigative judicial officer" position.

The real sticking point is the authority to request supplementary investigations. It is reported that among President Lee Jaemyung, Minister of Justice Jung Sungho, and many Democratic Party lawmakers, there is a growing consensus that this authority should be exceptionally allowed. However, opposition within the party remains strong. On January 30, Assemblyman Kim Yongmin, the Democratic Party secretary on the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee, sharply criticized the idea, saying, "If we allow the authority to request supplementary investigations even as an exception, we are only changing prosecutors’ signboards to the Prosecution Service, and nothing will actually change."

Author Rhyu Si-min, a key influencer in the broader pro-government camp, directly attacked Minister Jung’s remark on Kim Eo-jun’s YouTube channel that "not all prosecutors are bad," calling it "an outrageous statement that insults citizens who have long advocated prosecutorial reform and betrays the spirit of the Democratic Party."

The conflict over the proposed merger is another challenge that must be resolved. On the surface, the dispute is over support or opposition to the method and procedure of the merger, but some analysts see it in essence as a power struggle over the next party convention and, further down the road, the next presidential race. Through public remarks at Supreme Council meetings and in interviews, the emotional rift between the pro-leadership faction and the non-leadership faction within the party is widening.

Jung Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party, will seek to gather opinions by holding a meeting today with first-term lawmakers who have openly criticized the merger. On February 6, he will meet with senior lawmakers serving their fourth term or more, and on February 10, he will meet with second-term lawmakers.

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