Kim Min-seok, former prime minister who has declared a bid for the Democratic Party leadership, delivers opening remarks at the ‘Forum on the Three Mega Projects and Region-Led Growth’ hosted at the National Assembly Members Office Building on the 7th. Yonhap News

On the 9th, lawmaker Kim Min-seok, who is running in the Democratic Party leadership election, stated, “Regarding the Jang Yun-gi case, I share the public outrage,” and, “Together with prosecution reform, I will build a strong control system to prevent collusion and cover-ups within the police.”

Kim wrote on X the same day, “While upholding the principle of abolishing the supplementary investigation authority, we must establish an external oversight and rigorous accountability system for problems that arise during police investigations,” and made these remarks.

Kim said, “Reform means making power institutions such as the prosecution and the police stand more transparently before the people,” and, “The principles of democratic control and transparent verification do not draw a line between the prosecution and the police.”

However, Kim said, “The Chosun Ilbo-style framing that abolishing the supplementary investigation authority is siding with a murderer is crude,” and, “Even provocative language has limits.”

Kim said, “I solemnly pray for the repose of the late Lee Chae-won,” and, “I extend deep condolences to the bereaved family.”

The Democratic Party plans to pass an amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act to abolish the supplementary investigation authority of prosecutors ahead of the launch of the Public Prosecution Office this October. After indications of a shoddy investigation, evidence concealment, and internal collusion by the police emerged in the Jang Yun-gi case, in which a high school girl was killed in Gwangju, voices of concern have arisen both inside and outside political circles that the supplementary investigation authority of prosecutors should not be abolished in its entirety.