'Not "Direct" but "Supplementary Investigation"... "Prosecution Revealed the Truth," Angering Gyeongnam Police'

Published 23 Apr.2022 13:42(KST)

Police badge. Photo by Asia Economy

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Se-eun] Recently, there has been strong opposition from local police regarding three cases in the Gyeongsangnam-do region that the prosecution presented as successful examples of supplementary and re-investigation.

This conflict has also been confirmed to have arisen from the confrontation between the prosecution and the police over the so-called 'complete removal of prosecution's investigative authority' known as 'Geomsu Wanbak,' which is at the core of the prosecution-police investigative authority adjustment plan.

According to the police, the prosecution brought in matters unrelated to investigative authority and 'over-interpreted' them in a way that gave the misunderstanding that 'the investigative capabilities of the Gyeongnam regional police are insufficient.'

On the 20th, the Criminal Division of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office introduced 22 cases at a press briefing, explaining, "If the Geomsu Wanbak bill passes, such cases will disappear in the future."

Among the cases introduced by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, three incidents that occurred in the Gyeongnam region were the 'Geoje random assault,' the 'Muhaksan murder case,' and the 'cohabitant kidnapping, confinement, and sexual assault.'

In all three cases, the prosecution conducted additional investigations or requested supplementary investigations from the police, which revealed the full details of the incidents.

However, the prosecution's position is that if the Geomsu Wanbak passes, the prosecution's investigative authority will effectively disappear, reducing opportunities to uncover the truth of cases.

However, the Gyeongnam police emphasized that the above cases were instances where the prosecution did not conduct 'direct investigations' but requested 'supplementary investigations' from the police.

A Gyeongnam police official stated, "These cases have no relevance to the prosecution's investigative authority, so the prosecution's logic itself is incorrect."

The Geomsu Wanbak bill includes provisions limiting the prosecution's direct investigations, but the regulation allowing the prosecution to request supplementary investigations from the police remains in place.