PPP: "Four Prosecutorial Reform Bills? A Blueprint for Shielding Power from Corruption"

Opposition Judiciary Committee Members Hold 'Prosecution Service Abolition Season 2' Seminar on June 17
"There Are Limits to Resisting the Ruling Party"...Appealing to Public Sentiment

On June 17, the People Power Party (PPP) criticized the "Four Prosecutorial Reform Bills" proposed by the Democratic Party of Korea, stating, "They are being packaged as institutional reform, but in reality, they are a blueprint for shielding power from corruption investigations."

PPP lawmakers who are members of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee held a seminar at the National Assembly on the topic of "Prosecution Service Abolition Season 2: Problems with Abolishing the Prosecution Service and Separating Investigation and Prosecution." They said, "There are limits to blocking the law against the majority ruling party, which holds a large number of seats. We ask the public to help stop these harmful laws," appealing to public sentiment.

Yonhap News

Previously, on June 11, Democratic Party lawmakers Kang Junhyun, Kim Moonsu, Kim Yongmin, Min Hyungbae, and Jang Kyungtae held a press conference at the National Assembly, stating, "It is time to fulfill the people's demand to end political prosecutors and prosecutorial dictatorship," and introduced the "Four Prosecutorial Reform Bills." The bills call for abolishing the Prosecution Service, establishing an Investigation Agency for Serious Crimes under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, establishing a Prosecution Agency under the Ministry of Justice, and creating a National Investigation Commission directly under the Prime Minister. The lawmakers leading the proposal set a goal of passing the bills within three months.

Kim Yongtae, acting chairman of the PPP Emergency Response Committee, said, "The Democratic Party and the Lee Jaemyung administration are now trying to dismantle the criminal justice order of the Republic of Korea," adding, "The People Power Party will not take a single step back in the face of the Democratic Party's attempt to seize judicial power."

Regarding the "Four Prosecutorial Reform Bills" proposed by the Democratic Party, he emphasized, "All these attempts converge into one," and described them as "a judicial coup dressed in the clothes of legislation, shaking the foundations of the criminal justice system and creating a tailor-made judicial structure for those in power."

Song Eonseok, PPP floor leader, stated, "The Prosecutor General and the Prosecution Service are defined by the Constitution," and argued, "To abolish them by law is to completely disregard the Constitution." He strongly criticized the move, saying, "This is an unprecedented outrage that is hard to find anywhere else in the world."

Song further stated, "Prosecutors exist for the public interest and for the people," and argued, "Abolishing the Prosecution Service, where such prosecutors are gathered, is effectively the same as abolishing the public interest and is tantamount to declaring that the people will not be protected."

Jo Baesook, an opposition member of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the organizer of the seminar, said of the "Four Prosecutorial Reform Bills," "There are extremely dangerous and serious problems." She pointed out, "The criminal justice system is a matter of national function to protect citizens from crime and to realize criminal justice. To change it, prosecutors, courts, bar associations, and civic groups should come together to discuss and study the issues, but a conclusion has been reached in a short period of time."

Jo continued, "Abolishing by law the organization to which prosecutors and the Prosecutor General, who have constitutional status, actually belong, and transferring them in name only to unrelated organizations is an act of mocking the Constitution." She added, "While the bills claim to separate investigation and prosecution, in other countries, the trend is to integrate investigation and prosecution."

She also argued, "It is unacceptable to use legislative power for political purposes," and claimed, "There is an element of emotional retaliation regarding the investigation of President Lee Jaemyung." She further acknowledged, "There have been victims of political prosecutors in the past," but emphasized, "While discussing improvements is one thing, attempting to dismantle the entire criminal justice system is extremely dangerous."