Prime Minister Kim says abolition of supplementary investigation rights is government position, will follow National Assembly's decision

The issue of supplementary investigation rights for the Public Prosecution Office, which had been at the center of tensions between the Lee Jae-myung administration and the Democratic Party of Korea, and in practice between the pro-Lee Jae-myung and pro-Jung Chung-rae camps, appears to be moving toward resolution. That is because Prime Minister Kim abruptly made abolition the government's official stance, and former Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae immediately welcomed the move.
On the 25th, Kim said abolition of the supplementary investigation rights was the government's official position and added that the administration would not separately propose a revision to the Criminal Procedure Act of the Republic of Korea, but would follow the National Assembly's decision. His remarks followed President Lee Jae-myung's recent comment at a press conference marking his first year in office, when he said, "We decided to leave the conclusion on the supplementary investigation rights issue to the National Assembly."
This government position on the supplementary investigation rights was presented at what was effectively Kim's final briefing that day. Kim explained, "The basic principle of prosecution reform pursued by the Lee Jae-myung administration is the separation of investigation and prosecution." He added, "This is a core principle of reform aimed at more rationally redefining the prosecution's authority and more strongly protecting the people's fundamental rights."
Shortly after the briefing, Jung responded on social media, saying, "I welcome this. Since we will push for irreversible and complete abolition in the National Assembly, please prepare the enforcement decree for complete abolition as well."
Originally, the supplementary investigation rights issue was at the center of factional conflict, with President Lee raising the need for it while Jung strongly pushed for complete abolition. As the party convention was set for Aug. 17 after the June 3 local elections, Jung repeatedly called for abolition to rally supporters, and Kim, a leading pro-Lee Jae-myung contender for party leadership, also took a stance in favor of abolition in response.
The supplementary investigation rights issue is now seen as having been pushed aside by the party leadership race. Among Democratic Party rights members, support for a hard-line approach to prosecution reform is strong, and even the pro-Lee Jae-myung camp has stepped back for now. Prosecution reform is a long-standing goal of the Democratic Party, rooted in former President Roh Moo-hyun's legacy, making it difficult for Lee's pragmatism to gain traction.
The supplementary investigation rights issue is expected to emerge as a key point at the Democratic Party's upcoming party convention. After Jung and Kim both made their positions clear, lawmaker Kim Yong-min, known as a hard-liner on prosecution reform, also hinted on the day that he would run for party leader. Kim has especially put the completion of prosecution reform at the forefront of his message.
uknow@fnnews.com Kim Yun-ho, Seo Young-jun, Song Ji-won Reporter