[The Editors' Verdict] Han Donghoon's Showdown

Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon’s remarks at the Prosecutorial Investigation Deliberation Committee on the 24th were very impressive. Many netizens also responded that he was cool. Reading his brief but clear statement carefully, one can feel how upright a public official he is. There is a good reason behind his reputation as the right-hand man of the current Prosecutor General.

Prosecutor Han appealed to the committee members, saying, "When we look back on the stormy July of 2020, I hope that at least one part of the South Korean judicial system will have left a clear record in history standing on the side of common sense and justice." The meeting was convened to determine the appropriateness of investigation and prosecution against him. Prosecutor Han is suspected of colluding with a Channel A reporter to plan an investigation aimed at damaging the administration. The collusion between the two was accepted as a plausible extension of the well-known fact that the prosecution and the media have colluded for mutual benefit?at least until the conversation recordings between the two were made public.

Prosecutor Han continued, "This absurd situation is meant to serve as an example of what happens when you conduct an investigation opposed by those in power." He led the investigation into the Cho Kuk case as head of the Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Division at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office. During the height of the investigation, the Minister of Justice changed, and he, a close aide to the Prosecutor General, was demoted to Deputy Chief Prosecutor at the Busan High Prosecutors’ Office. Since the recent start of the investigation into the collusion between the prosecution and the media, he has been effectively on standby at the Legal Research Institute.

Meanwhile, public opinion has largely leaned toward Prosecutor Han’s innocence, largely due to the release of the Channel A reporter’s conversation recordings. In the recordings, Prosecutor Han responds to the reporter’s investigation plan by saying it is "worth trying." Regarding Yoo Si-min, the director who appears to be the final target of the investigation, he also says he is "not interested." Based on these recordings alone, it does not appear that he planned any investigation with the reporter. However, it is said that the two had several other phone calls. Could there be evidence of collusion between the prosecution and the media in those conversations?

The Channel A fact-finding report includes a conversation between Channel A reporters stating that "Prosecutor Han told me to sell him out" during the investigation. Later, the reporter explained to the media that "What kind of prosecutor would tell me to sell him out? It was just a way to encourage a junior’s investigative enthusiasm." However, the reporter was arrested, and the committee recommended prosecution. Clearly confirming the multiple phone calls between the reporter and Prosecutor Han seems to be a necessary step to uncover the truth of the case.

It is uncertain whether the Investigation Deliberation Committee discussed these points. Even if they did, the investigation into Prosecutor Han was not yet complete (especially the forensic analysis of his cellphone), so they may have based their decision on insufficient evidence. Ultimately, the committee’s decision to "stop the investigation and not prosecute" indicates that the current level of evidence held by the prosecution is still insufficient to determine the existence of collusion between the prosecution and the media.

Prosecutor Han continued his remarks: "Even if I am wrongfully imprisoned or driven out of public office, I will calmly endure to the end." Not only the collusion between the prosecution and the media but also the collusion between power and the prosecution and the practice of interference in investigations must be eradicated. In that regard, Prosecutor Han’s eventual legal vindication through litigation will be recorded as a lesson that our society no longer tolerates such deep-rooted evils and that unjust interference in investigations will inevitably be punished.

Prosecutor Han is nicknamed the "Big Corporation Grim Reaper." If there is something he cannot accomplish, then none of us can. Therefore, his victory, achieved through clear truth-finding and fair judgment, can be a victory for all of us who are vulnerable before power. The words, "Please leave a clear record that at least one part of the judicial system stood on the side of common sense and justice," I would like to return to Prosecutor Han as a member of the public. I support his relentless struggle toward proving his innocence.

Shin Beom-su, Head of Social Affairs Department

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