[National Assembly Hot Figure] Prosecutor Moon Ji-seok Exposes Abuse of Authority by Prosecution Leadership in Coupang Severance Pay Case

Prosecutor Moon Ji-seok's Revelations at Parliamentary Inspection
Conflicting Testimonies in Face-to-Face Questioning with Former Branch Chief Eom Hee-jun
Democratic Party Urges Action on "Prosecution's Abuse of Power" and Judicial Distortion Bi

After the National Assembly Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee on the 15th, Prosecutor Moon Ji-seok became the center of attention again during the National Assembly Judiciary Committee's audit on the 23rd. While the audit on the 15th addressed the unfairness of Coupang Fulfillment's policy, which resets the continuous employment period to day one if a daily worker has even a single four-week period with less than 15 hours of work per week-even after working for over a year-the audit on the 23rd focused on the "abuse of authority by the prosecution leadership."

During the audit, Prosecutor Moon revealed, "The chief prosecutor at the time, Eom Hee-jun of the Bucheon Branch of the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, instructed that the results of the search and seizure of Coupang, secured by the Labor Office, be omitted from the report to be submitted to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, according to the then lead prosecutor." He alleged that the prosecution leadership intervened in the case to produce a non-indictment opinion.

Prosecutor Ji Seok of the Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office is responding to a lawmaker's question during the 2025 National Assembly inspection held by the National Assembly Judiciary Committee on the 23rd. Photo by Yonhap News

This case began in September last year when the Bucheon Branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor requested a search and seizure warrant, which Prosecutor Moon approved. The issue surfaced during last year's audit over Coupang's severance pay for daily workers, leading to a confrontation between Prosecutor Moon and the Bucheon Branch leadership. Later, claims emerged that the Bucheon Branch leadership provided investigative guidelines to the lead prosecutor at the time, pressuring for a non-indictment decision. Prosecutor Moon stated that he was verbally abused by Eom Hee-jun, then head of the Bucheon Branch (now a prosecutor at the Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office), and that his authority to approve cases was revoked, branding him as an incompetent prosecutor within the organization. During an unusual face-to-face questioning session at the audit, Prosecutor Moon and former Branch Chief Eom expressed differing opinions. Former Branch Chief Eom countered in his testimony, "Prosecutor Moon also agreed with the non-indictment, but now claims fabrication after being subjected to an inspection."

Kim Yongmin, secretary of the Democratic Party of Korea on the Judiciary Committee, stated, "This case shows that the prosecution's abuse of power can devastate people's livelihoods." On the 24th, Democratic Party leader Jung Cheongrae referred to the case of former Branch Chief Eom at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly, saying, "We must urgently process the bill on the crime of judicial distortion pending in the Judiciary Committee," and added, "If there are prosecutors who conceal facts or fabricate evidence, they must all be found and punished for the crime of judicial distortion."