Victims of inadequate police investigations worry about abolishing the prosecution's supplementary investigation authority

Victims of serious crimes and their bereaved families expressed concern over the abolition of the prosecution’s supplementary investigative authority. On the 15th, they held a press conference at the Seoul Bar Association building in Seochogu, Seoul, and argued that additional investigation by prosecutors was necessary to uncover the truth for victims in cases of police mishandling. The press conference was attended by victims and bereaved family members related to the Incheon Ganghwa Island abandonment causing injury case, the Busan rebound punch case, and the Seohyeon Station vehicle knife rampage case. The attendees explained that the direction of the cases changed through the prosecution’s request for reinvestigation and supplementary investigation, even after the police missed the timing to secure key evidence or decided not to refer the case. They pointed out that the currently proposed amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act focuses only on preventing abuse of prosecutorial power, and that it lacks measures against delays in investigation and poor investigations. The victims’ side stated that they cannot accept “prosecution reform without victims.”