Blue House Counters Innovation Party Again: "Cho Kuk Previously Supported Supplementary Investigation"

Cho Kuk's 2025 Remarks Quoted
"Jurisdiction of the Central Investigation Agency Changed from Ministry of Justice to Ministry of the Interior... Details Have Been Adjusted"
"Rather Than Focusing on Minor Differences, Join Together for the Complet

The Blue House issued a rebuttal to the statement made by the National Innovation Party, which had denied ever advocating supplemental investigation rights for the Prosecution Service Office, referring instead to President Lee Jae-myung's posts on social media. To support its argument, the Blue House presented statements made by former Innovation Party Chairman Cho Kuk in the past. The Blue House contended that, as the Innovation Party has adjusted its positions during the discussions on the concrete institutional design of prosecution reform, it would not be appropriate to single out President Lee's remarks based on specific details of the issue.

President Lee Jae-myung commuted to the Blue House, and on the 29th, marking the official start of the Blue House era again after 3 years and 7 months, the phoenix flag was raised at the Blue House in Seoul. 2025.12.29 Photo by Cho Yongjun

On the 5th, the Blue House Spokesperson's Office stated through an official notice that former Chairman Cho appeared as the Director of the Innovation Policy Research Institute of the Innovation Party on the YouTube channel "Jang Yunseon's News Convenience Store" on August 29, 2025. During this appearance, he clarified, under certain conditions, that "recognition of supplemental investigation is necessary."

Previously, the Innovation Party had responded to President Lee's post on X, in which he said, "The Innovation Party, as well as most advocates of prosecutorial reform, insisted on establishing an Investigation Agency under the Ministry of Justice and a Prosecution Service Office responsible for indictments, and also advocated granting supplemental investigation authority to the Prosecution Service Office." The party clarified, "What the Innovation Party insisted on was the right to request supplemental investigations, not authority to conduct them," and has maintained a "principled position of abolishing supplemental investigation authority."

In response, the Blue House countered that the Innovation Party's specific proposals for prosecutorial reform have evolved in accordance with changes in practical circumstances. The Blue House pointed out that the party’s current position on supplemental investigation authority differs from what it was in August of the previous year, and that the jurisdiction of the Investigation Agency was initially proposed to be under the Ministry of Justice, but the official party line later changed to place it under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

The Blue House stated, "The National Innovation Party itself has acknowledged that it has changed the substantive content of its prosecutorial reform proposal in response to practical realities and changing circumstances," and added, "The detailed design of prosecutorial reform has always been adjusted as the discussion process and circumstances have evolved."

The Blue House further explained that President Lee's post on X was less about the fine details of individual provisions such as supplemental investigation authority, and more about expressing the broader direction and commitment to reforming the prosecutorial organization in an irreversible manner. It emphasized that the fundamental direction of separating investigation and indictment, and establishing the Investigation Agency and the Prosecution Service Office, has not changed since it was pledged during the presidential campaign.

The Blue House particularly noted that the Innovation Party itself has adjusted its positions on issues such as supplemental investigation authority and the jurisdiction of the Investigation Agency, and stressed, "President Lee’s administration aims for results that are significantly more advanced than the prosecutorial reforms first discussed."

It further stated, "Rather than clinging to minor differences in the process of prosecutorial reform, we urge everyone to work together to ensure that this now-irreversible reform can be completed to a high standard and benefit all aspects of people's lives and livelihoods."

As the debate surrounding President Lee’s social media remarks extends to interpreting the Innovation Party’s past positions and comments, discussions within the broader ruling coalition over supplemental investigation authority and the design of the post-Investigation Agency and Prosecution Service Office criminal justice system are expected to continue.

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