Prosecutors Indicted for 'Obstructing Coupang Investigation' Protest: "Fabricated Evidence, Will Hold Them Accountable"

Will Take Civil and Criminal Action Against the Special Prosecutor

Prosecutor Heejun Eom of the Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office (who was then chief prosecutor at the Bucheon branch of the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office), who has been put on trial on charges of forcing a non-indictment in the Coupang unpaid severance pay case, lashed out at the permanent special prosecutor team on the 27th, calling the indictment "filthy and disgusting," "fabricated," and a "crime," and declared, "I will hold them accountable."

On this day, Prosecutor Eom held a press conference on the first floor of the special prosecutor's office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, asserting, "The special prosecutor fabricated evidence to indict me, just as the former National Intelligence Service used to fabricate cases." He also claimed, "The special prosecutor ignored the law and evidence to act on behalf of the personal vendetta of Moon Jiseok (prosecutor at the Suwon High Prosecutors' Office, then chief prosecutor at the Bucheon branch)."

He further argued, "They indicted me for abuse of authority simply because, when the lead prosecutor (Prosecutor Shin Kahyun) said it would be difficult to indict, I told them to refer to another case and handle it quickly." He strongly objected, saying, "I believe it is a crime to bring an indictment based on such a story."

He especially pointed out, "At the beginning, the issues that led to the launch of the special prosecutor were 'we omitted important evidence when reporting to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office' and 'Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Donghee (then Bucheon branch deputy chief prosecutor, now prosecutor at the Busan High Prosecutors' Office) leaked official secrets.' However, none of these charges resulted in an indictment. Doesn't this alone show that Chief Prosecutor Moon Jiseok falsely accused us?"

He went on to state, "I won't stop at simply being found not guilty. I will seek a court ruling on the abuse of indictment authority and the fabricated indictment," and emphasized, "I will take all possible civil and criminal actions against the special prosecutor."

Prosecutor Kim Donghee, who was indicted together with Prosecutor Eom, also issued a statement, saying, "Today, the special prosecutor ignored the evidence and legal principles and made a 'foregone conclusion indictment.' Failing to reveal the most important 'motive' in the abuse of authority charge, they are, in effect, saying they will hold us accountable simply because we made a different decision."

Regarding suspicions that he wrote a report on behalf of the lead prosecutor, Kim argued, "I explained to the special prosecutor the circumstances of drafting the second report myself, how I shared and revised it by reflecting the opinions of the lead prosecutor and Chief Prosecutor Moon Jiseok, and how I conveyed all of the chief prosecutor's opinions to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office."

He added, "They are charging a person who did their best by directly reviewing the records and analyzing case law and legal principles to fulfill their responsibility as deputy chief prosecutor, while accepting the false claims of someone who only called for an indictment."

Heejoon Eom, a prosecutor indicted on charges of abuse of authority, obstruction of the exercise of rights, and violation of the Act on Testimony and Appraisal in the National Assembly in relation to the unpaid severance pay case at Coupang, held a press conference denying the indictment on the 27th in front of the office of the Coupang and Kwankwon Permanent Special Prosecutor Team in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Prosecutor Eom also supported Prosecutor Kim regarding the 'ghostwriting allegation,' saying, "Due to Chief Prosecutor Moon Jiseok's (now prosecutor at the Suwon High Prosecutors' Office) repeated false reports, omissions, and lies, it became impossible to entrust him with mentoring junior prosecutors. It was the deputy chief's effort to resolve and handle the case properly."

Previously, on this day, the permanent special prosecutor team led by Kwonseop Ahn of Coupang and Gwanbongkwon indicted Prosecutor Eom without detention on charges of abuse of authority, obstruction of exercise of rights, and violation of the Act on Testimony and Appraisal before the National Assembly. Prosecutor Kim was indicted without detention on charges of abuse of authority and obstruction of exercise of rights.

Prosecutors Eom and Kim are accused of coercing the lead prosecutor to issue a non-indictment decision in connection with the Coupang unpaid severance pay case when they served as the chief prosecutor and deputy chief prosecutor, respectively, at the Bucheon branch of the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office last year. The special prosecutor team believes that during this process, Prosecutor Moon's opinion that additional investigation and legal review were necessary was ignored and that the non-indictment decision was made without proper investigation or reporting.

Prosecutor Eom countered, "Recently, in both the first trial and the appeal of a similar case, acquittals were handed down with the same logic used by the Bucheon branch," adding, "Why is the non-indictment decision considered wrong and a crime?"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.