Kim Youngjin Criticizes Kim Yongmin for Raising His Voice at Chung Sungho: "Was It Really Necessary to Go That Far?"

Pointing Out the Raised Voices Between Committee Secretary and Minister
"I Understand the Sentiment, But Was It Necessary?"
Draws a Line on Supplementary Investigative Authority for the Prosecution Office

Kim Youngjin, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, commented on fellow party member Kim Yongmin, who serves as the Democratic Party's secretary on the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, raising his voice toward Minister of Justice Chung Sungho. Kim Youngjin said, "I can understand how he feels, but was it really necessary to go that far?"

On January 14, during an interview with MBC Radio, Kim Youngjin stated, "The Ministry of Justice is also part of the Democratic Party government, and the ministry clearly expresses its opinions on laws proposed by the Democratic Party government. I wondered if it was really necessary to go that far."

Previously, on January 12, Kim Yongmin had raised his voice during a full session of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee regarding the Prosecution Office Bill and the Serious Crimes Investigation Office Bill, both of which had been pre-announced for legislation by the Ministry of Justice. He said, "From the issue of supplementary investigative authority to the dual structure of the Serious Crimes Investigation Office, these bills would essentially implant a new prosecution office and amplify its power. The government should listen to the voices of the people and revise these laws." In response, Minister Chung Sungho countered, "The prosecution under the Lee Jaemyung administration is not like that. It is not operated that way," adding, "I don't think the prosecution system itself is entirely bad or problematic." It was unusual for both the ruling party's committee secretary and the Minister of Justice to raise their voices in this manner.

Kim Youngjin, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Yonhap News

Kim Youngjin also expressed the view that there needs to be further consideration regarding the dual structure of personnel at the Serious Crimes Investigation Office, which Kim Yongmin and others have raised as an issue. He said, "Isn't it necessary to have such an office to investigate the nine major crimes?" He continued, "While it is important to prevent and block excessive political intervention by the prosecution, it is also necessary to ensure clear investigations into serious crimes, such as economic crimes and other major offenses." Regarding the idea of appointing separate 'investigative judicial officers' to the Serious Crimes Investigation Office in order to maintain the prosecution's investigative capabilities, Kim Youngjin said, "At present, we are actually treading an unverified path," and added, "The main point is to grant investigative authority to the National Investigation Headquarters or the police. However, if at that time investigations are concealed or not properly conducted, there needs to be consideration of how to handle investigations into serious crimes and the concealment of various offenses."

He further stated, "Since the establishment of the government in 1948, there has been a process in which the prosecution and the police have collaborated on investigations, so there are issues regarding how to carry forward this legacy in a positive direction." He emphasized the need for solutions regarding potential investigative gaps following the dissolution of the prosecution office.

On the issue of granting supplementary investigative authority to the Prosecution Office, Kim Youngjin drew a clear line. He said, "Within the party, there are significant concerns that granting supplementary investigative authority to the Prosecution Office could violate the original legislative intent behind establishing both the Serious Crimes Investigation Office and the Prosecution Office. Many believe that maintaining this authority would depart from the original purpose of reform." He added, "This issue requires serious discussion," and emphasized, "How we discuss and organize the matters of supplementary investigative authority and the right to request supplementary investigations is also an important issue."