Kim Jaeryun "Seoul City Hall Search Warrant Dismissal, Very Regrettable"

On the morning of the 22nd, at a location in Seoul, Kim Jae-ryeon, the lead attorney of the law firm On-Sesang, is speaking at the "2nd Press Conference on the Sexual Violence Case by the Mayor of Seoul." Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] Kim Jae-ryeon, the lead attorney of the law firm On·Sesang representing the sexual harassment victim of the late Park Won-soon, former Mayor of Seoul, expressed regret over the court's dismissal of the police's request to search Seoul City Hall to investigate allegations of complicity by Seoul city officials in the sexual harassment.

At the '2nd Press Conference on the Power Sexual Violence Case by the Mayor of Seoul' held on the 22nd, Attorney Kim stated regarding the court's dismissal of the search warrant for Seoul City Hall, "After initially consulting with the victim and filing a complaint on the 8th, we continued the testimony until dawn to promptly seize devices held by the accused and uncover the truth." She added, "With the accused deceased, the victim has been deprived of the right to engage in legal battles and speak in court, which is regrettable as the victim's representative."

The Seoul Central District Court dismissed the search warrant application submitted by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on the morning of the same day, which sought to search Seoul City Hall and mobile phones used by the late former Mayor Park.

The court cited the reason for dismissal as "insufficient evidence to establish the suspects' criminal charges" and "lack of demonstration of necessity for the search and seizure, including the relevance between the alleged crimes and the items to be seized."

The warrant included one iPhone belonging to the late former Mayor Park. Although digital forensic procedures have begun, the investigation scope is currently limited to the circumstances of his death, and the police explained that it should be expanded to include the sexual harassment complaint case.

The police are investigating a case filed by the YouTube channel 'Garo Sero Research Institute,' which accused the Seoul City Secretary's Office and others of condoning and aiding the sexual harassment by the late former Mayor Park. Since last week, the police have been summoning Seoul city officials for questioning in sequence and intended to secure related materials necessary for the investigation through the search and seizure, but the dismissal of the warrant has put a halt to these efforts.

A police official stated, "We will consider whether to reapply after supplementary investigations."

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