Lee Seokyeon Says "Authority for Supplementary Investigations by Public Prosecution Office Prosecutors Is Practically Necessary"

"Why erase the term 'prosecutor'... Why disregard the spirit of the Constitution"
"Constitutional referendum in June local elections impossible... Must begin in latter half of administration"

Lee Seokyeon, Chairman of the Presidential Committee for National Unity, stated that prosecutors at the newly established Public Prosecution Office should be granted the authority to conduct supplementary investigations. In doing so, he voiced disagreement with the Democratic Party of Korea, which has decided to guarantee only the right to request supplementary investigations, rather than the authority to conduct them.

Lee Seokyeon, chairman of the Presidential Committee for National Unity, is announcing the results of a national perception survey on five major social conflicts for national unity at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 11th. 2026.2.11 Photo by Jo Yongjun

Chairman Lee made these remarks during a Q&A session with reporters after announcing the results of the "National Perception Survey on Five Major Social Conflicts for National Unity" at the Government Complex Seoul on this day. He said, "The authority to conduct supplementary investigations is necessary and must exist in reality," adding, "The right to request supplementary investigations is meaningless, and it is my conviction that the authority to conduct supplementary investigations is needed."

He went on to express concern over the Democratic Party's decision to guarantee only the right to request supplementary investigations. Chairman Lee explained, "Their idea is to send cases down to the Serious Crime Investigation Office and have it carry out supplementary investigations, but given that there is also a limit on the detention period of suspects, the process will only waste time as the case moves back and forth." He added that concerns that granting the authority to conduct supplementary investigations to prosecutors at the Public Prosecution Office would revive the prosecution are unfounded, saying, "The purpose is to uncover the substantive truth, and this is not a tug-of-war issue between the government and the ruling party, but a matter of basic rights in criminal justice."

He also said, "This is a problem that arises from dismantling the prosecution too abruptly," and added, "In order to maintain indictments perfectly, supplementary investigations must be conducted into flawed investigations."

He further argued that the title should also be written as "prosecutor." Chairman Lee said, "They say they will use the term 'investigative judicial officer' for prosecutors, but they should be referred to as 'prosecutors,'" emphasizing, "We are not abolishing the prosecutor system itself, are we?" He continued, "The Constitution also states that warrants are requested by prosecutors and issued by judges," and asked rhetorically, "Why are they trying to erase the term in disregard of the spirit of the Constitution?"

Regarding constitutional amendment, he judged that putting it to a national referendum during the local elections in June is impossible. Chairman Lee explained, "I have a firm position that we must amend the Constitution, but as some have suggested, it is physically impossible to put a constitutional amendment bill to a national referendum at the time of the local elections in June."

As for the timing of the constitutional amendment, he said, "It should begin in earnest in the latter half of this administration," adding, "The process should not be left solely to the political establishment; it must be a constitutional amendment in which the people participate."

He also said, "We could even prepare a constitutional amendment by the time the current members of the National Assembly complete their terms in 2028," adding, "If we adopt a four-year, two-term presidential system as the structure of governance, the schedules for presidential and local elections will align perfectly thereafter. By simplifying the election cycle, we may be able to reduce the waste of national resources and the pretexts for division of public opinion."

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