Police Refer Former Human Rights Commissioner Kim Yongwon for Attempted Coercion over Written Statement

Case of alleged dereliction of duty not referred

Former National Human Rights Commission of Korea standing commissioner Kim Yongwon, who is suspected of coercing a staff member into writing an unfair written statement in connection with the death of a Marine, has been handed over to the prosecution.

The Special Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency, which took over the investigation of the three independent counsel cases, announced on the afternoon of the 13th that former commissioner Kim had been referred to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on charges of attempted coercion.

On the 5th, at the farewell ceremony for Standing Commissioner Kim Yongwon held at the National Human Rights Commission in Jung-gu, Seoul, Kim Yongwon greeted attendees. Members of the National Public Officials Labor Union's Human Rights Commission branch protested, holding handheld placards on which they had written Kim Yongwon's abusive remarks recorded in the official minutes. Photo by Yonhap News

Kim is accused of forcing a National Human Rights Commission staff member to write a written statement to the effect that "former chairperson Song Doohwan issued an illegal order," after the petition records of then Marine Corps Colonel Park Junghoon, who was under investigation after exposing external pressure on the investigation into the Marine's death, were made public in June last year.

However, because this conduct did not actually result in a written statement being drafted, the charge of attempted coercion was applied. The allegation of abuse of authority was not referred, as there is no provision for punishing an attempt in relation to that offense.

The allegation of dereliction of duty against former commissioner Kim was concluded as having no charge.

In 2023-2024, during meetings of the standing committee of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, he repeatedly demanded that former secretary-general Park Jin leave the meeting and apologize, and when this was not accepted, he walked out of the meeting room. Former secretary-general Park had been in conflict with then standing commissioners Kim Yongwon and Lee Chungsang, claiming that they had not properly reviewed the emergency relief petition filed by Colonel Park Junghoon, who was under investigation after exposing external pressure on the investigation.

Former standing commissioner Lee, who left together at the time, was also investigated on suspicion of dereliction of duty.

According to the police investigation, it was confirmed that the two had either left the meetings midway or did not attend, but it was concluded that the case would not be referred because all the agenda items before the standing committee at the time had been processed.