Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
Rival parties agree on bill to limit prosecutors' investigative powers
National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug, center, poses with Democratic Party of Korea floor leader Park Hong-keun, left, and People Power Party floor leader Kweon Seong-dong after the floor leaders signed a bill on amending laws related to prosecution reform proposed by the National Assembly speaker, during their meeting at the speaker's office in the National Assembly, Seoul, Friday. Joint Press Corps
By Nam Hyun-woo
Unhappy prosecutor general again offers to resign
By Nam Hyun-woo
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) each decided to accept a compromise version of a bill on reforming laws related to prosecutors' investigative powers, after spending a month at loggerheads.
DPK floor leader Park Hong-keun said in a press briefing on Friday that the party has decided to accept the compromise bill proposed by National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug.
“It is difficult to say that our intentions were fully reflected (in the compromise bill), but we decided to accept it and then complement its shortcomings later on,” floor leader Park said.
PPP floor leader Kweon Seong-dong also announced that the party will accept the compromise bill. “Under the National Assembly speaker's watch, the two parties will announce their official agreement, tune-up some articles of the bill and pass it at next week's plenary session,” Kweon said.
Despite strong opposition from the PPP and prosecutors, the DPK has been striving to pass a bill aimed at stripping prosecutors of their investigative powers through a number of amendments to the Prosecutors' Office Act and the Criminal Procedure Act. The DPK has been pushing for this despite opposition in and outside of the party, claiming that the prosecution is abusing its power.
The ruling party sought to pass the bill in the National Assembly plenary session, to achieve their goal before the May 10 inauguration of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol of the PPP, who is a former prosecutor general and said earlier that he would use a presidential veto powers even if the bill is passed.
Due to the strong opposition, it is widely believed that the DPK is seeking to strip prosecutors of investigative powers to protect President Moon Jae-in and former presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung from prosecutorial investigations after Yoon takes office.
Independent lawmaker Yang Hyang-ja said in an interview that the DPK members tried to persuade her claiming that nearly 20 Cheong Wa Dae officials of the Moon administration would be sent to jail if the bill did not gets passed.
As rival parties' confrontation paralyzes debates on other pending issues, National Assembly Speaker Park proposed his compromise plan, calling on the two parties to accept it.
Currently, the Prosecutors' Office Act allows prosecutors to start investigations on six significant crime categories ― corruption, economic crimes, crimes perpetrated be public officials, election crimes, defense industry crimes and those related to catastrophes.
Of those categories, Park's compromise plan strips prosecutors of powers to begin investigations on crimes involving public officials, elections, the defense industry and catastrophes. This will be effective four months after the bill passes in the Assembly.
Also, the plan contains the DPK's proposal of establishing an investigative agency, which is similar to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. If such an agency is set up, prosecutors will lose their powers relating to their right to investigate corruption and economic crimes.
Yoon's presidential transition committee also said it respects the agreement.
Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo leaves the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-dong, Seoul, Friday, after tendering his resignation in protest of rival parties' decision to accept a prosecution reform bill. Yonhap
Though the conflict between rival parties over reforms to the prosecution service have been found, the rift is ongoing over the bill, as top prosecutors have offered their resignation in protests against the reform.
Following the parties' agreements, Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo expressed his intention to resign on Friday, saying he will “take the full responsibility as the prosecutor general.”
Kim has already offered his resignation on April 17, in protest of the DPK's bill, but President Moon has rejected it. Since then, Kim has been meeting with lawmakers to explain why the prosecution objects the reforms.
After Kim offered to step down, other ranking prosecutors at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and heads of Seoul, Suwon, Daejeon, Daegu, Busan and Gwangju High Prosecutors' Offices also tendered their resignations.
“The compromise bill is nothing more than postponing the implementation of the original bill,” the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said in a statement. “The office expresses its staunch objection to the compromise bill proposed by the National Assembly speaker.”