"National Assembly Must Choose Citizens' Fundamental Rights Over Prosecutors' Established Interests"
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] The Democratic Party of Korea rebutted Kwon Seong-dong, the new floor leader of the People Power Party, who called the 'complete removal of prosecution's investigative authority' (Geomsu Wanbak) a "atrocity and a crime that outrages the heavens and the people," by asking, "Is it in the spirit of cooperation to describe the legitimate legislative review and processing process under the National Assembly Act as an 'atrocity' and a 'crime'?"
Lee Su-jin, the Democratic Party floor spokesperson, held a press conference at the National Assembly on the 10th and referred to the reasons Kwon, then floor leader, presented when he led the amendment of the Prosecutors' Office Act in 2019, questioning, "Has the issue of the prosecution's 'political prosecution' and 'abuse of investigative authority' been completely resolved in three years?"
She also directly criticized the prosecution, saying, "The struggle to defend vested interests is crossing the line," and added, "The prosecution should reflect on why the 70-year history of the Korean prosecution has been marked by the terms 'prosecutor republic' and 'political prosecutors'."
She continued, "The Korean courts have ruled that the actions of President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol during his tenure as Prosecutor General constitute serious misconduct warranting dismissal or heavier disciplinary action," and questioned, "Shouldn't the prosecution first confess the shame of the 'prosecutor vested interest collective spirit' that condoned illegal and improper acts and collectively opposed disciplinary measures?"
Spokesperson Lee asserted, "The prosecution should not cloak vested interests in the spirit of the Constitution but prioritize the constitutional principle that 'all citizens are equal before the law,'" and urged, "Immediately abandon the arrogance that only the prosecution can uphold the law of the Republic of Korea."
She added, "The separation of the prosecution's investigative and prosecutorial powers is the normalization of the prosecution through dismantling vested interests, the realization of judicial justice, and the protection of citizens' fundamental rights," and stated, "The National Assembly must choose the fundamental rights of the people, not the vested interests of the prosecution."
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