Opposition ramps up attacks over Lee's indictment withdrawal and supplementary investigation rights; Han Dong-hoon joins in

[Financial News] The People Power Party is intensifying its offensive against the government and the ruling party over their attempt to withdraw President Lee Jae-myung's indictment and abolish prosecutors' supplementary investigation rights. The party's Special Committee to Block the Cancellation of President Lee Jae-myung's Trial claimed that the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office's additional inspection of prosecutor Park Sang-yong was an effort to create a pretext for canceling the trial. The broader opposition camp has also stepped up its public campaign, citing the so-called Jang Yoon-gi case and the Busan roundhouse kick case, both of which shocked the public.
At a plenary meeting of the special committee held at the National Assembly on the 13th, Joo Jin-woo said, "Disciplining Prosecutor Park is an attempt to create a pretext for canceling Lee Jae-myung's trial." He added, "The more they do this, the more additional crimes will pile up, and I strongly warn them of that."
Joo also argued, "They already requested a two-month suspension for Prosecutor Park, but the 'salmon drinking party case' was left out, and the Ministry of Justice is delaying its decision." He said, "The reason is obvious: the moment a two-month suspension is imposed, the court will overturn it."
He described the inspection into Park as a "targeted probe" and warned that it could amount to abuse of authority. On the Ministry of Justice Future Committee, he said, "What are they doing by putting in members who simply listen to those in power?" He added, "The prosecutor general cannot direct it, and this body, which is directly under the Ministry of Justice, is an illegal organization that undermines the political neutrality of the prosecution."
He also pressed President Lee, saying, "Even now, he should make a public promise that he will face trial according to the law." He added, "The more he continues to use tricks behind the scenes to cancel the trial, the more his crimes will only increase."
The party also criticized efforts to abolish supplementary investigation rights, using the Jang Yoon-gi case as a reference point. At a Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the same day, party leader Jang Dong-hyuk said, "If you hand over power to the police, who already hold enormous power comparable to absolute authority, a police monster will be born and absolute corruption will follow." He added, "Just look at the Jang Yoon-gi case. There was a disgusting 'our-people cartel' that destroyed evidence, leaked investigative information, and downplayed the case simply because the suspect was one of their own."
Jang argued, "Supplementary investigation rights are not just about finding leads that the police failed to uncover or supplementing incomplete investigations. They also serve to check the police." He said, "If the police are not checked, they will become servants of power and ignore the public's lives and safety."
Floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik said, "Supplementary investigation rights are about standing on the side of victims and the public to build the best criminal investigation system so that the truth is not concealed, as in the Jang Yoon-gi case." He criticized the move to abolish them, saying it would hand all investigative authority to the police and neutralize even the minimum checks on them.
Criticism also emerged over the attempt to abolish supplementary investigation rights, citing the Busan roundhouse kick case, which occurred in Busan in May 2022. The case was initially known as a random assault, but prosecutors' supplementary investigation revealed that it was an attempted rape. On the 12th, the victim also said of the abolition plan, "A safeguard that allows the case to be reviewed again from an objective perspective is absolutely necessary."
Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon met with the victim of the Busan roundhouse kick case on the 13th. He has repeatedly voiced criticism of the abolition of supplementary investigation rights through social networking service (SNS) posts. He has said in messages such as, "If the Democratic Party abolishes supplementary investigation rights, cases like the Jang Yoon-gi case will happen more often and will not even be caught," and "In a world created by a Democratic Party administration, crimes like the Jang Yoon-gi case will be buried and concealed one after another, ordinary people will not be able to recover money owed to them, and the principle that the rich go free while the poor are punished will become routine."
Floor leader Jeong said, "The victim of the Busan roundhouse kick case said that a safeguard is needed to review the case again from an objective perspective." He added, "Supplementary investigation rights are the minimum safety pin for victims, and they must be kept."

haeram@fnnews.com Lee Hae-ram Reporter