The Prosecutor Who Arrested Namwook in 2015 Was Again Excluded from the Investigation Team Reinforcement

Demoted After Participating in the Investigation of Cho Kuk
Most of the Investigation Team Lean Towards the Pro-Government Faction

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] It was confirmed on the 14th that the dedicated investigation team of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (led by Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Tae-hoon), which is investigating the lobbying and preferential treatment allegations related to the Daejang-dong development case, excluded Prosecutor Kang Il-min of the same prosecution office’s Trial Division 5 from the personnel reinforcement review. Prosecutor Kang was in charge of investigating the Daejang-dong development corruption case at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Special Division in 2015. At that time, he was the lead prosecutor who indicted lawyer Nam Wook on charges of violating the Attorney-at-Law Act and maintained the prosecution through the second trial. He is currently regarded as the prosecutor with the highest level of understanding of the Daejang-dong allegations within the prosecution.

According to a comprehensive report by Asia Economy, the investigation team recently requested the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to add 2 to 3 prosecutors from other prosecution offices after internal review. The current investigation team consists of 18 members under the command of Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim, including all prosecutors from the Economic Crime Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (9 members including the chief prosecutor), 3 from the Public Investigation Division 2, 1 from the Anti-Corruption and Violent Crime Cooperation Division, 1 from the Crime Proceeds Recovery Division, and 3 dispatched prosecutors. With this reinforcement, the team will become a mammoth-sized investigation team with over 20 members.

Regarding this reinforcement situation, there are remarks inside and outside the prosecution questioning, "Why is Prosecutor Kang not included?" A lawyer with prosecution experience said, "It takes considerable time for a prosecutor to review and understand a case to get on track," adding, "If the prosecutor has previously investigated the case, this process is minimized, increasing efficiency." Currently, the investigation team needs to interrogate lawyer Nam, who is staying in the United States.

Nevertheless, the reason Prosecutor Kang was excluded from the reinforcement is viewed as because most of the investigation team is composed of pro-government figures. Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim served as the head of the prosecution division at the Ministry of Justice and was responsible for prosecution personnel affairs under Ministers Choo Mi-ae and Park Beom-gye. Upon promotion to the 4th Deputy Chief Prosecutor, he is again assisting Lee Jung-soo, the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, who was the director of the prosecution bureau at the Ministry of Justice. Additionally, Yoo Kyung-pil, head of the Economic Crime Criminal Division, is considered a close aide of Director Lee. Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Young-jun is the son-in-law of Song Cheol-ho, mayor of Ulsan, who is on familiar terms with President Moon Jae-in.

On the other hand, Prosecutor Kang participated in the investigation of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk’s family as a member of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in 2019 but was later demoted in personnel reshuffles. Since his appointment in 2011, he has mostly held special investigation posts. However, after the Cho Kuk investigation, he was pushed to a non-investigative position in the trial division. He has been responsible for maintaining the prosecution in the case involving former Minister Cho’s family, but now participates only in the trial of former Minister Cho, which is held about twice a month after most trials have concluded.