[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Park Sung-jin, Deputy Prosecutor General of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, stated on the afternoon of the 3rd at the Cabinet meeting that he felt "deeply dismayed" as the "Geomsu Wanbak (complete removal of prosecutorial investigative authority)" bill was promulgated, citing that the constitutional principle of due process was not observed.
After the Cabinet approved the amendments to the Prosecutors' Office Act and the Criminal Procedure Act that afternoon, Deputy Park met with reporters at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office building in Seocho-dong, Seoul, and said, "Throughout the entire legislative amendment process, including in the National Assembly and even within the government, in-depth discussions and deliberations were neglected."
He added, "I proposed a request for reconsideration due to the unconstitutionality in the content and procedure of the Geomsu Wanbak bill, the harm it would cause to the good citizens, and the lack of public consensus, but just moments ago, the Cabinet approved it without any reconsideration."
Deputy Park continued, "The Supreme Prosecutors' Office will actively respond by reviewing all possible legal measures, including constitutional litigation," and added, "We will do our best to become a prosecution that earns greater trust from the people."
He also said, "I waited and hoped until the last moment, but the outcome, which I did not want to think about, seems to have come, and I feel deeply dismayed," and reflected, "I thought a lot about not being able to get closer to the people and not being able to seek understanding from the media about us."
He went on, "Although the process of pushing for Geomsu Wanbak was not very long, it felt like a long time to us," and said, "However, we cannot sit down here; there are still remaining processes ahead, so we will do our best to inform the people of our judgments and thoughts."
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