Kim Kiuk and Kwon Dohyeong Appointed as Deputy Special Prosecutors
Five Prosecutors Also Dispatched to the Team
Permanent Special Prosecutor Ahn Kwonseop, who is in charge of investigating the suspicion of losing the band of the Geonjinbeopsa Gwanbongkwon and the external pressure suspicion of non-prosecution of Coupang severance pay, is seen leaving his office in Yeouido, Seoul on the 17th of last month. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
The deputy special prosecutors for the team led by Special Prosecutor Ahn Kwonseop, who will investigate the "suspected disposal of the Gwanbongkwon band" and the "suspected external pressure to not prosecute the Coupang severance pay case," have been appointed. This is the second time the permanent special prosecutor system has been activated since the 2021 Special Prosecutor for the Sewol Ferry Disaster Investigation. It is the first time that a permanent special prosecutor will investigate matters within the prosecution itself.
On December 4, the special prosecutor's team announced that the list of two deputy special prosecutors had been finalized. Kim Kiuk, attorney at Jeongryul Law Firm (33rd class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute), and Kwon Dohyeong, partner attorney at LKB Pyeongsan Law Firm (1st bar exam), have been appointed as deputy special prosecutors to assist Special Prosecutor Ahn.
Attorney Kim began his career after completing the Judicial Research and Training Institute in 2004, serving as a judge at Gangneung Branch of Chuncheon District Court and Seongnam Branch of Suwon District Court, and opened his own law practice in 2010. Attorney Kwon passed the bar exam in 2012, entered public service through a special recruitment for experienced lawyers at the National Police Agency, and served as warrant review officer and head of the economic team at Ilsan Dongbu Police Station in Gyeonggi Province, as well as investigation review officer at the Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency. Since October 2021, he joined the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, serving as case investigation analyst and prosecutor in Investigation Divisions 2 and 1. Since April last year, he has been practicing as an attorney at LKB.
According to the Special Prosecutor Act, the permanent special prosecutor's team is composed of one special prosecutor, two deputy special prosecutors, up to five prosecutors on secondment, and up to 30 dispatched public officials and 30 special investigators each. The five seconded prosecutors are: Kim Hokyeong, Chief Prosecutor of the Public Investigation Division at Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office (37th class), Jeong Seongheon, Deputy Chief Prosecutor at Busan District Prosecutors' Office (39th class), Han Judong, Deputy Chief Prosecutor at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (40th class), Jang Jin, Prosecutor at Cheongju District Prosecutors' Office (42nd class), and Yang Guiho (2nd bar exam), Prosecutor at Busan District Prosecutors' Office Dongbu Branch.
The preparation period specified by the Special Prosecutor Act is up to 20 days. Since Special Prosecutor Ahn was appointed on the 17th of last month, it is expected that the investigation will begin around December 6. The investigation period is up to 90 days, with the possibility of one extension.
The special prosecutor's team will investigate whether there were any issues in the process of losing 50 million won worth of Bank of Korea Gwanbongkwon bands and stickers, which were secured during the search and seizure of Jeonseongbae, known as Geonjinbeopsa, by the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office in December last year. The team will also look into whether there was any pressure involved when the Bucheon Branch of the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office decided not to prosecute the case regarding unpaid severance pay at Coupang Fulfillment Services (CFS), a Coupang logistics subsidiary, which had been referred for indictment by the Bucheon Branch of the Central Regional Employment and Labor Office in April.
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