Lee Geontae Cancels “Supplementary Investigation Authority Debate” with Han Donghun After One Day

"Cannot Ignore the Intentions and Concerns of Fellow Party Members"
Han Donghun Criticizes, "Ran Away Fearing Defeat in the Debate"

Geontae Lee, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, canceled the public debate he had planned to hold with independent lawmaker Donghun Han over the issue of abolishing the prosecution’s supplementary investigation authority just one day after proposing it.

Candidate Geon-Tae Lee, running for the Democratic Party's Supreme Council by-election, delivers an opening remark at the 2nd joint debate held at the Democratic Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul on January 5, 2026. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

On July 18, through his social media account, Lee stated, "I have decided that it would not be right to ignore the intentions and concerns of the party members who support me," adding, "I will not proceed with this debate."

Han, a former prosecutor, had proposed on July 16 that the Democratic Party of Korea publicly debate the reasons why abolishing the prosecution’s supplementary investigation authority would go against the interests of the people. In response, Lee, who is also a former prosecutor, agreed the previous day, saying, "I will explain to the public why the prosecution should not possess investigative authority," and the debate was arranged.

However, as opposition to participating in the debate grew mainly among Democratic Party supporters, Lee appears to have changed his position. Lee commented, "I agreed to the debate because I believed Han, together with former President Seok-yeol Yoon, led politically motivated and fabricated prosecutions as a political prosecutor," but added, "I take seriously the opinions and advice of my fellow party members."

In response, Han criticized Lee by saying, "Lee ran away right before the debate," and argued, "It was because Democratic Party politicians and some supporters pressured him, fearing that he would be overwhelmed in the debate."

In a separate post, Lee argued that leaving supplementary investigation authority with the prosecution to keep the police in check is not a solution, and instead proposed alternatives such as strengthening the effectiveness of the right to request supplementary investigations and reflecting investigation outcomes in personnel evaluations.

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