(URGENT) Lee says police will be biggest power, stresses need for reform by gov't body
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SEOUL, Aug. 25 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung warned Tuesday that the police will soon hold the most power among government agencies, urging the creation of a government body to oversee police reform. The president made the statement during a Cabinet meeting following the recent passage of a revision to the Criminal Procedure Act, which will strip the prosecution of all investigative authority, leaving it solely to the police upon enactment.
The remarks also followed the discovery of a presumed body of a missing woman on the southern Jeju Island, which sparked public outrage over the police's handling of the case.
Lee expressed concerns about whether the police are qualified to wield such significant authority and stressed the need for reform to establish a government body that would oversee police reform. The president directed the prime minister's office to gather public input and develop a plan for creating the proposed body. He emphasized that the police may soon exercise the greatest power among government agencies and that the public is deeply worried about this shift.
Lee cited recent serious public safety cases as evidence of police irresponsibility, calling for relentless efforts to address these issues and calling for a system overhaul. He argued that power, when concentrated, always creates problems, and that the level of responsibility should be commensurate with the extent of authority.
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