Jang Je-won and Kim Ki-hyun "Dismissal of Lee Im-jae's Warrant Raises Suspicion of Police 'Inadequate Investigation'"

Pointing out issues with the complete prosecution reform, "Hand over the investigation to the prosecution"

Kim Ki-hyun, a member of the People Power Party, and Jang Je-won attended the study group "National Sympathy" held at the National Assembly on the 7th and exchanged greetings. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] In response to the rejection of the arrest warrant for former Yongsan Police Chief Lee Im-jae, who has been considered a key suspect in the Itaewon disaster, ruling party members Jang Je-won and Kim Ki-hyun have called for a prosecution investigation, questioning whether there are issues with the police's investigative capabilities.

On the 7th, Representative Jang posted on his social media, "How exactly did the police conduct the investigation that they couldn't even determine the responsibility of the local police chief?" He added, "Did they conduct a lenient investigation to protect their own, or is there a problem with their investigative ability?"

He stated, "This will be recorded as the ultimate failure of investigation, blatantly showing how poor police investigations can be without prosecution oversight due to the complete removal of prosecution's investigative authority (검수완박)." He criticized, "The police should stop reapplying for warrants or conducting supplementary investigations and instead hand over the case to the prosecution and step away from the investigation."

He also criticized the opposition party, which is pushing for a motion to dismiss and impeach Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, saying, "If the court rejected the warrant despite the investigation not being poor or lenient, how can the responsibility be held to the higher-ups like the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency or even the minister?" Representative Jang is effectively appointed as the chair of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, which oversees the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the National Police Agency.

Representative Kim also raised his voice on social media, saying, "I doubt that the rejection of the arrest warrant for the Yongsan Police Chief is not due to poor police investigation," and urged, "The police should immediately hand over the Itaewon incident investigation to the prosecution for a thorough investigation."

He pointed out, "If they could not even properly prove the negligence of the Yongsan Police Chief, who was responsible for safety in this huge disaster, it raises doubts that this stems from a poor investigation. Perhaps the Democratic Party's 검수완박 law only expanded the police's authority while weakening their investigative capabilities."

Representative Kim also targeted the opposition, saying, "Moreover, the court is not convinced to prove negligence even against the Yongsan Police Chief, who should bear primary responsibility at the scene. Claiming that the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency and the Minister of the Interior and Safety should be held responsible first is inconsistent."