The National Assembly holds a government interpellation session in western Seoul on Wednesday. (Yonhap)
The National Assembly holds a government interpellation session in western Seoul on Wednesday. (Yonhap)

Justice minister says prosecution reform aims to protect rights

The ruling and opposition parties clashed Wednesday at the National Assembly over former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024, exposing political divisions that still run deep ahead of a court ruling scheduled next week on charges he led an insurrection.

During a government interpellation session, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea argued that the episode underscored the need for constitutional reform to curb the concentration of presidential power, while the main opposition People Power Party dismissed talk of an insurrection as politically driven.

Rep. Lee Sang-sik of the Democratic Party said, “Constitutional revision is necessary to bring a complete end to the insurrection,” warning that under the current constitutional system, a similar abuse of presidential power could recur.

Lee pointed to what he described as structural problems in the political system, including the concentration of authority in the presidency and a winner-takes-all political culture, which he said may have contributed to officials complying with controversial orders during the martial law declaration.

“The powers granted to the president under the current Constitution are immense,” Lee said. “The Lee Jae Myung administration’s key task is to strengthen presidential accountability while dispersing authority.”

The main opposition rejected the framing of an "insurrection," arguing that investigations have failed to produce new evidence beyond what is already known.

Rep. Shin Sung-bum of the People Power Party said, “It may have revealed cowardice or indecisiveness among high-ranking officials, but apart from former President Yoon and former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, has anything new really emerged?”

“Through the National Assembly audit, police and prosecution investigations, the first special counsel probe and Constitutional Court proceedings, no new facts regarding martial law have come to light,” he asserted.

Shin criticized efforts by the ruling party to launch a second comprehensive special counsel investigation focused on scandals surrounding former President Yoon and his aides, labeling it excessive. “Over six months, some 700 personnel, including 120 prosecutors, were mobilized, and about 27.5 billion won ($20.8 million) was spent,” he said, arguing that repeated probes were politically motivated.

“Endless attempts to label this as an insurrection only deepen divisions in South Korea,” Shin said, adding that the push for another investigation appeared aimed at prolonging the controversy to the upcoming local elections in June.

The Seoul Central District Court is set to deliver its verdict on Feb. 19 in the insurrection case against former President Yoon Suk Yeol stemming from his martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024.

The ruling, set for 3 p.m., will be broadcast live after the court approved media requests to film and transmit the proceedings using court equipment.

Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho, meanwhile, said the broader goal of debate on ongoing prosecution reform is to strengthen the protection of Koreans’ rights and human rights in general.

“Whether it is called supplementary investigative authority or the authority to request supplementary investigations, what matters is not the name, but that the ultimate objective of prosecution reform is to maximize the protection of people’s rights and human dignity,” Jung said during the session.

He acknowledged that public dissatisfaction had grown over prosecutors’ past exercise of both investigative and prosecutorial powers, saying there is a shared determination to address the issue.

“In the past, there was strong public dissatisfaction that prosecutors misused and abused their authority,” Jung said. “There appear to be views that prosecutorial investigative powers should be significantly restricted.”

The opposition has been pushing for a second, comprehensive special counsel investigation, arguing that earlier probes into allegations surrounding the former administration and related cases were incomplete and politically contentious.

Regarding prosecution reform, the Lee Jae Myung administration has been advancing a broader agenda centered on curbing investigative powers and strengthening safeguards for citizens’ rights.

The government has signaled that it is reviewing ways to further limit prosecutorial investigative authority and recalibrate the balance between police and prosecutors, citing longstanding public concerns over concentration and misuse of power. Officials say the reform aims to enhance accountability while rebuilding public trust in the justice system, though the proposals remain a point of sharp partisan contention in the Assembly.


mkjung@heraldcorp.com