Seoul: The National Assembly, under the leadership of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), has approved a contentious bill to strip the prosecution of its direct investigative powers. This decision was met with strong opposition from the main opposition party, the People Power Party (PPP).

According to Yonhap News Agency, the revision to the Criminal Procedure Act was passed during a plenary session with a 175-2 vote, and one lawmaker abstaining. This followed the Assembly's decision to halt a filibuster initiated by the PPP the previous day. The new bill mandates that the prosecution will no longer have the authority to conduct direct investigations, including supplementary investigations. Instead, prosecutors will need to request judicial police officers to carry out these supplementary investigations. This move is part of broader prosecution reform legislation aimed at dismantling the prosecution and establishing two separate agencies responsible for investigations and indictments.

Furthermore, during the plenary session, the Assembly introduced another revision to the National Assembly Act. This revision seeks to reduce the maximum review period for fast-tracked bills from 330 days to just 90 days. The PPP, however, immediately initiated a filibuster against this measure, which is set to automatically conclude at midnight when the July extraordinary parliamentary session ends. The bill is expected to be voted on in the first plenary session next month. A filibuster can be terminated after 24 hours if at least three-fifths of all parliament members, or 180 lawmakers, vote in favor of ending it.