Today, the Prosecution Investigation Deliberation Committee on the Late Prosecutor Kim Hong-Young Case to be Held... Deliberation on the 'Prosecution Validity'

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae posted on her Facebook photos of a memorial stone, a commemorative tree, and a plaque set up at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, along with a story from the late Prosecutor Kim Hong-young's high school days. / Photo by Minister Choo Mi-ae's Facebook capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] The Prosecutorial Investigation Deliberation Committee (PIDC), convened at the request of the bereaved family of the late Prosecutor Kim Hong-young, who made an extreme choice at the age of 33 after suffering verbal abuse and physical assault from his superior, will be held on the 16th.

The PIDC will deliberate on the appropriateness of indicting former Seoul Southern District Prosecutor’s Office Chief Prosecutor Kim Dae-hyun, who was Kim’s superior, on charges including assault and coercion. The meeting will take place from 2 p.m. at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office conference room with 15 current issue committee members in attendance.

The committee members will review written opinions and statements submitted by Kim’s bereaved family, the investigation team, and former Chief Prosecutor Kim, then vote on whether to recommend prosecution to the responsible prosecutor.

While working in the Criminal Division of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutor’s Office in May 2016, Prosecutor Kim left a suicide note expressing work-related stress and job pressure before taking his own life.

Subsequent internal investigations by the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office revealed that former Chief Prosecutor Kim had habitually subjected Prosecutor Kim to verbal abuse and physical assault over two years. The Ministry of Justice dismissed former Chief Prosecutor Kim in August of the same year.

Former Chief Prosecutor Kim contested the dismissal by filing a lawsuit to cancel it but ultimately lost the case at the Supreme Court in March last year.

The bereaved family applied for the PIDC to be convened last month, stating the background as “to urge a swift investigation.”

Earlier this month, it was disclosed that during the prosecution’s investigation, former Chief Prosecutor Kim expressed a desire to apologize directly to the bereaved family. However, the family stated, “What the bereaved want is not an ‘apology from the suspect’ but a ‘prosecution of those responsible’ through a thorough investigation and the restoration of Prosecutor Kim’s tarnished honor.”

The day before, the bereaved family publicly disclosed part of the written opinion they submitted to the PIDC. In the opinion, the family described the case as “a mirror reflecting workplace harassment in our society” and raised suspicions of investigation downplaying by the Seoul Southern District Prosecutor’s Office.

Meanwhile, Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae recently visited the Seoul Southern District Prosecutor’s Office with Prosecutor Kim’s parents, erected a memorial stone honoring Prosecutor Kim in the prosecutor’s office flowerbed, and planted a commemorative tree. She also hung a commemorative plaque on the office wall where Prosecutor Kim had worked during his lifetime and posted photos along with anecdotes from Kim’s high school days on her Facebook page.

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