Han Byung-do, acting representative and floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, speaks while attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 10th. [Yonhap News] 

On the 11th, the Democratic Party of Korea addressed allegations of collusion between the investigation team and the father of Jang Yun-gi, a police officer and father of the man who murdered a high school girl in Gwangju, stating, "If the law enforcement power, which should be pursuing the criminal, acted as a shield for the perpetrator, it is not merely a botched investigation but an act of complicity under the guise of an investigation."

Spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said in a written briefing that day, "We strongly demand a full-scale re-investigation that mobilizes all investigative capabilities. A re-investigation without sanctuaries is the only answer."

She added, "Everyone involved in the destruction and omission of evidence must be placed back under investigation," and "The substantive truth, hidden behind a massive veil of cover-ups, must be brought to light without a shred of doubt."

She continued, "As public outrage has boiled over, the police have introduced organizational reform plans, including a reform task force and a new internal corruption investigation unit," emphasizing that "what the public demands is not superficial, performative measures to avoid blame, but fundamental reform that entails the pain of cutting out one's own flesh."

She added, "The Democratic Party will watch until the end to ensure the re-investigation process proceeds without the slightest deviation from the public's expectations," and "We will stand with the people until the day those who tried to cover up the truth with the hands of power pay the price."

In a written briefing, Floor Spokesperson Lee Ju-hee took a jab at the People Power Party, which is boycotting the National Assembly schedule, saying, "If you have concerns about the bill to abolish supplementary investigation rights, it is the duty of a member of the National Assembly to discuss them during the legislative review process."

Conversely, the People Power Party countered that the full story of the Jang Yun-gi case was revealed thanks to the prosecution's supplementary investigations, which the ruling party is currently pushing to abolish.

Chief Spokesperson Park Sung-hoon argued in a commentary, "The ugly truth of the murder for the purpose of rape, which the police had missed and nearly buried through a botched investigation, was only uncovered because of the prosecution's supplementary investigation," adding that "it is a painful lesson that proves why the safety net known as supplementary investigation is absolutely necessary."

Chief Spokesperson Park criticized, "Even so, Kim Ou-joon said on his YouTube broadcast that 'there are several cases like this every year,'" and added, "Mr. Kim and members of the Democratic Party are trying to cover up the essence of the case by using inflammatory frames such as public opinion manipulation and a return to prosecution-led investigations."

Floor Chief Spokesperson Choi Eun-seok pointed out in a commentary, "Cases that would not have been revealed without the prosecution's supplementary investigations continue to surface," stating, "Abolishing the right to conduct supplementary investigations means eliminating the opportunity to protect victims once more."

People Power Party Floor Leader Jung Jeom-sik speaks at the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 10th. [Yonhap News]