The Democratic Party of Korea and the Controversial Criminal Procedure Act Bill
On the 8th, the Democratic Party of Korea held a full session of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee to introduce a revised version of the Criminal Procedure Act. The bill aims to completely abolish the prosecution’s right to conduct supplementary investigations. This move has sparked significant debate and criticism from various quarters.
Criticism from Independent Lawmaker Han Dong-hoon
Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon voiced strong opposition to the proposed changes, questioning the stance of the Lee Jae Myung administration and the Democratic Party of Korea. He posed a rhetorical question: “Will the Lee Jae Myung administration and the Democratic Party of Korea stand on the side of murderers?”
In a Facebook post earlier that day, Han highlighted public outrage over the case of Jang Yoon-gi, a high school student who was murdered. He pointed out that the father of the murderer, an active-duty police officer, had destroyed evidence. Additionally, it was revealed that the police investigation team leader had actively participated in this evidence destruction to protect the son of a senior police officer who was his friend.
Han argued that without the prosecution’s supplementary investigation, such acts of evidence destruction would have gone unnoticed. He emphasized that the Jang Yoon-gi case illustrates the dangers of allowing only the police to investigate. “If only the police are allowed to investigate, countless innocent victims could emerge,” he stated.
Political Stance and Party Conventions
Han criticized the Lee Jae Myung administration and the Democratic Party of Korea for their focus on party conventions rather than addressing critical issues. He referenced former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who recently declared his candidacy for the Democratic Party leadership. Kim had previously announced that the government had finalized the abolition of the prosecution’s right to supplementary investigations as its basic stance.
The Democratic Party reiterated its position yesterday, stating that the abolition of the prosecution’s right to supplementary investigations is unwavering. Han accused the party of being selective in its criticisms, pointing out that while they were vocal about the prosecution’s “fabricated indictment” citing Lee Hwa-young’s “salmon alcohol party” lie, they remained silent on the police’s “actual fabrication.”
Warnings About Future Cases
Han warned that if the current trajectory continues, cases similar to Jang Yoon-gi’s will proliferate after October 2, when the prosecution’s right to supplementary investigations is abolished and the indictment agency is launched. He used a metaphor to describe the situation, saying, “While people usually fix the barn after losing the cow, the Lee Jae Myung administration and the Democratic Party are instead trying to completely and thoroughly dismantle the barn after losing the cow.”
He added, “If they proceed this way despite the Jang Yoon-gi case, they are declaring that they do not care if South Korea becomes a country where countless Jang Yoon-gi cases occur, and the public remains unaware of how the police cover up or suppress such incidents.”
Concerns About Social Safety
Han concluded by expressing deep concerns about the state of social safety in South Korea. He stated, “South Korea’s long-built social safety is on the verge of collapsing entirely,” and asked the Lee Jae Myung administration and the Democratic Party, who seem more focused on winning the party convention than on the lives of ordinary citizens, “Will you indeed stand on the side of murderers?”
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