Assemblyman Hong Kiwon of the Ruling Party: "Concerns Over Harm to the Vulnerable if Supplementary Investigation Authority Is Fully Abolished...Deliberation Needed"

Raised the Need for "Exceptional Retention" on SNS

Assemblyman Hong Kiwon of the Democratic Party of Korea pointed out on July 8 that a thorough deliberation process is necessary regarding the abolition of prosecutors' supplementary investigation rights. He expressed concern that a complete deprivation of supplementary investigation rights could harm socially disadvantaged individuals, such as citizens who cannot afford legal representation and victims of sexual crimes.

On his social media account that day, Assemblyman Hong wrote, "While eliminating the potential for abuse of prosecutors' authority and ensuring that political prosecutors can never emerge again, we should also consider through an in-depth deliberation process whether it is possible to retain a minimum level of supplementary investigation rights to protect powerless and unfair victims."

Hong Kiwon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is being interviewed by The Asia Business Daily at the National Assembly member's office. January 29, 2026. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

He added, "Yesterday (the 7th), Han Byungdo, acting party leader and floor leader, stated that 'the complete abolition of supplementary investigation rights is unwavering policy.' He further explained, "When we discussed the bills for the Prosecution Service and the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency at the party's general meeting in March, several lawmakers raised the need for an exception for the retention of supplementary investigation rights to protect powerless victims and to keep judicial police officers, who would monopolize investigative authority, in check. I recall that it was decided to discuss this issue more thoroughly when amending the Criminal Procedure Act in the future."

Assemblyman Hong also said, "I oppose retaining investigative authority that could potentially be abused by prosecutors," but emphasized, "abolishing prosecutorial investigative authority is not an end in itself, but a reform aimed at protecting powerless victims and eradicating political prosecutors."

He went on to say, "With the establishment of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the Prosecution Service, more than 90% of prosecutorial investigative authority will be eliminated. In particular, arbitrary initiation of investigations and parallel investigations, which were prime examples of prosecutorial abuse, will become impossible." He stressed, "Deliberation should not be conducted with a predetermined conclusion, but rather to find the optimal solution."

Earlier, on the 7th, acting party leader Han stated at the party's policy meeting that with regard to the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act, which will address whether supplementary investigation rights for prosecutors will be retained, "We aim to propose the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act within this week and will accelerate intensive and substantive discussions." He reaffirmed that the complete abolition of supplementary investigation rights is the party's principle.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.