Prosecutors "Condolences to Jeonguiyeon Mapo Shelter Director... No Investigation or Attendance Requests Made to the Deceased"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] The prosecution investigating allegations of accounting omissions in the donations to the Justice and Memory Foundation expressed condolences regarding the death of A (60), the director of the Justice Foundation's Mapo shelter "Our House of Peace."

The Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office stated on the 7th, "We sincerely express our condolences." The prosecution also explained, "There was no investigation of the deceased related to the Justice Foundation complaint case, nor was there any summons for investigation," adding, "The Western District Prosecutors' Office is currently confirming the circumstances of this sudden news." They further added, "We will make greater efforts for a swift and unwavering fact-finding."

Earlier, the police responded to a report from an acquaintance of A who said "there was no contact," and visited A's residence in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, but found A deceased.

The Justice Foundation claimed that A had been distressed recently due to the prosecution's search and seizure and reporters' investigations surrounding the foundation. Previously, the Criminal Division 4 of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Ji-seok Choi) conducted search and seizures over two days starting from the 20th of last month at three locations: the Justice Foundation office in Mapo-gu, the War and Women's Human Rights Museum (the address of the Jeongdaehyeop office), and the Mapo "Our House of Peace" shelter.

The prosecution issued an additional statement in the afternoon, explaining, "Consultations regarding the execution of the search and seizure were conducted only with the defense counsel, and according to the consultation, the investigation team understands that the deceased was not present in the basement when the actual search and seizure took place."

Several civic groups filed complaints with the prosecution against related figures including Yoon Mi-hyang, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (former director of the Justice Foundation), regarding allegations of poor accounting, embezzlement of donations, and suspicions related to the purchase and sale of the Anseong shelter since the 11th of last month.

The prosecution summoned and investigated accounting personnel from the Justice Foundation and the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (Jeongdaehyeop) from the end of last month to early this month.

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