Attorney Jeong absent from hearing due to 'panic disorder'
Opposition criticizes "using legal tactics against the National Assembly"
Attorney Jeong Sun-shin, who was appointed and then dismissed as head of the National Investigation Headquarters, did not attend the hearing investigating the truth behind his son's school violence (school bullying) case. Jeong cited panic disorder as the reason for his absence, but opposition parties criticized this as "using legal tactics in the National Assembly."
The National Assembly's Education Committee initially planned to hold the "Hearing on the Truth Investigation of Jeong Sun-shin's Child's School Violence and Establishment of School Violence Countermeasures" today (31st), but rescheduled it to the 14th of next month.
On the day, Attorney Jeong submitted a letter of absence citing a "3-month diagnosis of panic disorder" and did not appear. Attorney Song Gae-dong, who was also selected as a witness and is the legal representative in the school violence administrative lawsuit, submitted a letter of absence citing attendance at a trial as the reason.
The opposition parties said it would be difficult to proceed with the meeting without the two and decided to postpone the hearing by changing the schedule. Yoo Ki-hong, chairman of the Education Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, said, "Attorney Jeong and Attorney Song ultimately did not attend today. As chairman, I deeply regret this," adding, "Since the reasons for absence are not legitimate, I sent an official letter under the chairman's name stating that if they do not appear today, they will be reported."
On the 31st, a hearing was held at the National Assembly Education Committee to investigate the truth about school violence involving Jeong Soon-shin's children and to establish measures against school violence. Photo by Yonhap News
He continued, "Currently, a complaint has been filed with the chairman with signatures from more than one-third of the committee members," warning, "If they are absent from the next hearing as well, new reports may be filed."
In particular, criticism poured in that Attorney Jeong used legal tactics as a reason for his absence from the National Assembly hearing due to panic disorder. Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Young-ho said, "(Attorney Jeong) received the attendance request but used the night time, two hours before the deadline for submitting the letter of absence, to suddenly notify his non-attendance," pointing out, "It feels very bitter as if he is using legal tactics against the National Assembly."
Democratic Party lawmaker Kang Deuk-gu criticized, "When Jeong Sun-shin was appointed as head of the National Investigation Headquarters, he was vigorous, but now he suddenly claims a 3-month panic disorder just because a hearing is being held to reveal his son's corruption," adding, "He has completely mocked the justice of our society."
Previously, Attorney Jeong was criticized for causing secondary harm by abusing legal tactics to avoid his son's forced transfer disciplinary action after his son's school violence case became known. When his son was disciplined with a transfer in March 2018 as a perpetrator of school violence during high school, Jeong filed an administrative lawsuit in objection and took the case all the way to the Supreme Court. It was suspected that he deliberately delayed the process out of concern that the school violence record in the school life record book would affect university admissions.
There were also indications that Attorney Jeong and his wife interfered with their son's testimony to evade responsibility for the school violence. According to the school violence retrial judgment document of Jeong's son, Jeong Mo, when his son faced the risk of forced transfer due to school violence, testimony was recorded stating that Attorney Jeong personally revised his son's testimony to avoid responsibility for the school violence.
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