Cheon Haram Visits Site of Jeju False Closure Case: "Oversight Mechanisms Needed for Police"

"I will address the Reform New Party situation at next week's Supreme Council meeting"
"After mandatory case transfer, prosecutors must conduct supplementary investigations"
"Thorough investigation needed to protect Jeju's tourism industry"

Assemblyman Cheon Haram of the Reform New Party visited the site of the Jeju police's false closure of a missing person report on August 28 and emphasized the need for external oversight and monitoring mechanisms in police investigations. He stated that the party’s plans for resolving internal confusion would be announced at next week's Supreme Council meeting.

After inspecting the location where the victim’s body was found, Assemblyman Cheon visited Jeju Provincial Police Agency and met with its chief. Afterwards, he told reporters, "This incident should not be dismissed as an individual’s wrongdoing but should be addressed by improving the system." He added, "Evidence such as verification photos or call records must be attached and then approved by a superior officer."

Cheon Haram, a reform party lawmaker, is holding a press conference after visiting the site of the false closure case by the Jeju police. Provided by the office of Cheon Haram

Assemblyman Cheon argued for the necessity of mandatory case transfer—where all cases investigated by the police are reviewed anew by prosecutors—and for prosecutors to have supplementary investigation authority. He explained, "While the police are responsible for the initial investigation, every case should be sent to a prosecutor for a second review. This is essential to prevent shoddy investigations, minimization, or concealment of cases." He added, "Since it is difficult to find investigative shortcomings by looking at documents alone, prosecutors must be able to conduct supplementary investigations when necessary."

Assemblyman Cheon also stressed that a thorough fact-finding investigation is directly tied to trust in Jeju’s tourism industry. He stated, "Questions about Jeju’s safety and public security could adversely affect the tourism sector," and emphasized, "We must keep all possibilities open and conduct an exhaustive investigation so that not a single doubt remains."

Regarding the future direction of the Reform New Party following the recent resignation of former leader Lee Jun-seok, he said, "Due to circumstances inside and outside the party, a difficult and confusing situation continues, causing concern for the public and party members." He added, "How we will stabilize the party and overcome the current challenges will be explained calmly and in detail at next Monday’s Supreme Council meeting."

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