새 형사사법체계 불신 키울라…비대해진 ‘경찰 통제’ 고삐

President Yoon Seok-yoon issued a directive on October 25th to reform the country's criminal procedure system, mainly in response to a growing negative public sentiment ahead of its implementation in October. The ruling party, led by Kim Baek-soon, was actively pursuing ways to address the concerns following the controversial "Kim Un-gi" case involving a fabricated false conclusion in a criminal investigation.

Public anxiety about the police's loss of trust escalated due to the "Kim Un-gi" case and the "Kim Un-gi is found alive" incident, making it impossible to ignore the issue of deteriorating public trust in the police. The directive, which came into effect on October 2nd, aimed to prevent the overreach of police powers by separating the investigative and prosecutorial functions, thereby ensuring that the police's authority did not spiral out of control.

The president believed that fundamental measures needed to be taken to address the issue of the police's monopolistic and disproportionate power. The presidential office stated that the accumulation of cumulative and repeated misuse of emergency police investigations demonstrated a problem in the command structure, and that the public demanded reforms to ensure accountability and proper control of police powers.

The Democratic Party also joined the call for police restraint measures, with lawmaker Han Byung-doo emphasizing that a police force with increased authority must be accompanied by improved investigative capabilities, higher accountability, transparent procedures, and democratic oversight. The party pledged to establish comprehensive reforms for the police organization and create a system that instills public trust.

The Democratic Party also formed the "Democratic Reform Commission on Police Reform" and appointed lawmaker Kim Nam-hyeok as its chair. At a press conference held on the same day, Democratic Party representatives reiterated their demand for police reforms, citing the "separation of investigation and prosecution," the establishment of a central investigation bureau and a complaint office, and other legislative changes.

The Democratic Party representative for legislative affairs, Kim Young-jin, stated that despite numerous legislative reforms, the police had failed to protect citizens' rights, lives, and personal security. The progressive party raised concerns about the possibility of police overreach, emphasizing that without immediate action to revoke the partial power to investigate and prosecute, the government and ruling party risked becoming complicit in future instances of police misconduct and cover-ups.