Former High Court Chief Judge Kim Yong-seop, who presided over trials of two former presidents, also involved
Lee Won-seok, Prosecutor General (54, Judicial Research and Training Institute Class 27), had lunch with Choi Hwan, former Busan High Prosecutors' Office Chief Prosecutor (80, Judicial Examination 6th), who was the Seoul District Prosecutor General at the time of indicting former Presidents Jeon Du-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, and Kim Yong-seop, former Seoul High Court Chief Judge (67, Class 16), who presided over the trials of the two former presidents.
Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok (right) is greeting former Busan High Prosecutor Choi Hwan on the 20th. Photo by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office
On the 21st, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office announced that Prosecutor General Lee had lunch the previous day with former Chief Prosecutor Choi, who led the investigation and prosecution of former Presidents Jeon Du-hwan and Roh Tae-woo from 1995 to 1996, uncovering historical truths, and former Chief Judge Kim, who handled their trials.
Former Chief Prosecutor Choi, while serving as head of the Public Security Department at the Seoul District Prosecutors' Office in 1987, was the prosecutor who prevented the cover-up attempt of the torture death of the late Park Jong-cheol and revealed the truth. He is the real-life figure portrayed by actor Ha Jung-woo as 'Prosecutor Choi of Seoul District Prosecutors' Office' in the film '1987'.
During his tenure as Seoul District Prosecutor General from 1995 to 1996, he formed a special investigation headquarters and oversaw investigations related to the December 12 military coup, the May 18 Democratic Uprising, and slush funds.
Former Chief Judge Kim, serving as a judge of the 30th Criminal Division of the Seoul Criminal District Court in 1996, presided over the first trial of the case, sentencing former President Jeon to death and former President Roh to 22 years and 6 months in prison.
Prosecutor General Lee expressed gratitude to the two men who devoted themselves to upholding the rule of law as legal professionals during difficult times, stating, "The democracy we enjoy today was achieved through the efforts and sacrifices of the people," according to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.
At the time of the trials of the two former presidents, Prosecutor General Lee was a Judicial Research and Training Institute student. After attending the trial, he contributed a courtroom observation article to the 'Judicial Training Summer Issue No. 19'.
Recently, Prosecutor General Lee, along with senior officials from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office including Planning and Coordination Department Head Sung Sang-heon, Spokesperson Park Hyuk-soo, Criminal Policy Officer Jang Jun-ho, and Policy Planning Manager Kim Su-hong, watched the film 'Spring in Seoul', which deals with the December 12 military coup.
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