Transition to Six-Member Special Prosecutor Team
Kwanbongwon and Coupang Cases Also Under Investigation
On October 27, two new special prosecutors, Park Nosu (31st class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute) and Kim Kyungho (22nd class), joined the Minjungki Special Investigation Team, which is investigating various allegations involving First Lady Kim Geonhee. With about two months remaining in the investigation period, the team has reached a critical turning point, now operating with six special prosecutors and undergoing key personnel changes.
Park Nosu (left), the new special prosecutor of the Minjungki Special Investigation Team investigating allegations related to First Lady Kim Geonhee, and lawyer Kim Kyungho are arriving at the KT Building office in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, on the 27th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
Upon arriving for his first day at the special investigation team’s office located in KT Gwanghwamun Building West, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Special Prosecutor Park stated, "I will do my utmost to ensure the special investigation team achieves the best possible results, overcoming the public's concerns." Special Prosecutor Kim also remarked, "I will do my best to deliver results that the public can accept." As the team has recently wrapped up major investigations and faces increased responsibilities in maintaining prosecutions, the addition of these two former judges is expected to strengthen their ability to respond during trials.
The special investigation team will also receive two new prosecutors dispatched from the prosecution service: Kim Ilkwon, Chief Prosecutor at the Jeju District Prosecutors’ Office, and one junior prosecutor. This comes as Chief Prosecutor Han Moonhyuk, who had been leading the investigation into Kim Geonhee’s alleged stock price manipulation involving Deutsche Motors, and Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Hyojin, who had been investigating the Gunjin Buddhist monk and Unification Church lobbying allegations, leave the team as of today.
Chief Prosecutor Han’s dispatch was terminated after it was revealed that he had socialized over drinks with Lee Jongho, former CEO of Black Pearl Invest and an accomplice in Kim Geonhee’s stock manipulation case. In 2021, Han attended a drinking gathering with Lee and an acquaintance, while he was participating in the case as part of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. He continued to work on the case with the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office’s reinvestigation team and the special investigation team this year, but did not report the private meeting.
Chief Prosecutor Han explained, "At the time of the gathering, Lee was not a suspect, and I was not aware he was involved in the case." The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office decided the previous day to launch an internal investigation into Han. Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim returned to his original office at the request of his department, which is experiencing a personnel shortage.
Meanwhile, as the three major special investigations (Kim Geonhee, insurrection, and the Chae Sangbyeong case) remain unresolved, the ‘Gunjin Buddhist monk’s Kwanbongwon scrip band loss allegation’ and the ‘Coupang severance pay non-prosecution external pressure allegation’ have both been expanded into permanent special investigations. According to the Special Prosecutors Act, a permanent special investigation team consists of one special prosecutor, two assistant special prosecutors, up to five dispatched prosecutors, and up to 30 dispatched government officials and 30 special investigators. The investigation period can last up to 90 days.
Some have questioned whether it is necessary to expand to a permanent special investigation, noting that the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s Inspection Department concluded that while there was a practical error in the Kwanbongwon scrip band loss case, there was no order from superiors to conceal evidence or any intentional wrongdoing. There are also criticisms that the permanent special investigation into the Coupang daily worker severance pay non-payment case was launched prematurely, as the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s Inspection Department is still investigating the alleged external pressure on the investigation.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
