Min Hyungbae: "The Prosecution Office Belongs in a History Museum"
Full-Scale Push to Separate Investigation and Indictment
Jeong Chungrae: "We Must Not Miss the Golden Time"
On August 6, the Democratic Party of Korea launched a special committee on prosecution normalization. The committee announced its plan to finalize the so-called "Prosecution Normalization Act," a prosecution reform bill, by the end of August.
The Democratic Party's special committee on prosecution normalization held its inaugural ceremony and first meeting at the National Assembly on the same day. Min Hyungbae, a Democratic Party lawmaker who chairs the committee, stated, "It is time to fundamentally block the political prosecutors' maneuvers that have repeatedly driven our democracy backward." He added, "We will complete the Prosecution Normalization Act, which includes structural reform measures, by the end of August." He further emphasized, "As Democratic Party leader Jeong Chungrae said, we will put the abolition of the prosecution office on the Chuseok holiday table."
Jeong Chungrae, Democratic Party of Korea leader (right), and Min Hyungbae, member of the National Assembly
Chair Min said, "The first goal of the special committee on prosecution normalization is to completely separate investigation and indictment." He explained, "We will send the prosecution office to the history museum and divide the authority currently concentrated in the prosecution office between the Public Prosecution Office and the Serious Crimes Investigation Office." He continued, "We will rationally and democratically adjust the criminal authority entrusted by the sovereign people," adding, "With meticulous craftsmanship, we will realize popular sovereignty and support the livelihood of the people." He also said, "While guaranteeing the basic rights of the people, we have specified and meticulously designed the operation of the criminal justice system so that it can effectively respond to illegal, unlawful, and irregular acts." He added, "This will pave the way for human rights protection and the realization of popular sovereignty."
Chair Min stated, "We will move forward at a rapid pace like a storm, but approach the matter with precision." He added, "We will listen to and communicate with the sovereign citizens," and announced, "We have opened a communication channel on the Democratic Party's website." He expressed his determination by saying, "We will deliver fast and accurate results."
Leader Jeong said, "The current historical task is to end and eradicate insurrection, and to ensure the success of the Lee Jaemyung administration." He noted, "For the party, prosecution reform is the most urgent of all reforms, and we made a public pledge during the party convention to complete it before Chuseok." Jeong continued, "If we miss the golden time, resistance to reform will intensify and the reform itself may be derailed." He added, "Much of the direction and content of prosecution reform has already been organized through discussion, but I ask the special committee on prosecution normalization to refine it even further."
He concluded, "I ask Chair Min and the members of the special committee to do their utmost so that the prosecution can be reborn as an institution serving the people, rather than one serving itself."
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