Seoul: The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Tuesday intensified its criticism of a recently approved bill that removes the prosecution's authority to directly conduct investigations, cautioning that this legislative change could potentially undermine victim protection.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the revision to the Criminal Procedure Act was sanctioned during a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day despite the PPP's appeals for President Lee Jae Myung to exercise his veto power against the bill. PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok, speaking at a forum attended by legislators and legal experts at the National Assembly, stated, "This is legislation that only benefits criminals, including President Lee."

Rep. Jang highlighted a case involving a female victim who was attacked in the southeastern port city of Busan as a reason for opposing the bill. The victim was brutally assaulted in 2022 when an assailant followed her into her apartment building and attacked her, an incident that incited public outrage. The case was initially referred to prosecutors on assault charges, but a subsequent investigation revealed attempted sexual assault.

In a recent social media post, the victim urged President Lee to "stand on the side of the victims" by vetoing the bill. Rep. Na Kyung-won of the PPP, a former judge and now a five-term lawmaker, criticized the ruling Democratic Party (DP) for advancing the legislation, claiming, "The door to hell has opened with the revision to the Criminal Procedure Act, which is designed solely for one person -- the president."

The bill is part of the DP's broader prosecution reform agenda, which aims to dismantle the current prosecution structure and establish two new agencies responsible for investigations and indictments separately. Under the new legislation, prosecutors will lose their authority to conduct supplementary investigations and will instead have to request judicial police officers to carry them out.

The PPP argues that this revision could lead to the dropping of charges against President Lee, who faced multiple trials before assuming office in June 2025.