Gominjeong "Afraid of the Prosecutor's Blade" Jin Joong-kwon "What Did You Do?"

Gominjung "Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Search, Professor Jeong Charged... Like a Military Operation"
Jin Joong-kwon "Public Figures Must End a Life Afraid of Prosecution"

Ko Min-jung, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] Go Min-jung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized the prosecution's search and seizure related to suspicions of the early shutdown of Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 and the prosecution's request for a prison sentence for Professor Jeong Gyeong-sim of Dongyang University, saying it "looks like a military operation." In response, former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon sarcastically criticized, "What did you do to be worried about the prosecution's sword?"

On the 5th, Go wrote on her Facebook, targeting the prosecution's search and seizure of the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. (KHNP) headquarters, saying, "The Ministry of Industry and KHNP's search and seizure was so well-coordinated as if they were prepared."

She continued, "The Park Geun-hye administration decided to shut down Wolseong Unit 1 in 2015 despite evaluations of economic feasibility," and pointed out, "Currently, People Power Party figures claim that the shutdown of Wolseong Unit 1 is unjust."

Regarding the prosecution's request for a 7-year prison sentence for Professor Jeong, who was indicted on charges including admission bribery and private equity fund suspicions, Go also criticized, "I feel hostility toward the prosecution's remarks mentioning words like corruption and state affairs manipulation."

She added, "Coincidentally, the first trial sentencing for the professor was held on the same day. Professor Jeong expressed her feelings about her entire family being branded as shameless and eventually shed tears," and said, "I think about whether their (prosecution's) sword will reach me as well, and the faces of my family and friends come to mind."

In response to Go's criticism, former professor Jin wrote on Facebook on the 6th, "I don't know how you live your life, but don't live like that. If you have become a public figure, you should end a life that fears the prosecution's sword."

Jin Joong-kwon, former professor at Dongyang University / Photo by Yonhap News

Former professor Jin said, "Can't you just live normally like others without doing strange things?" and asked, "What on earth did you do to be worried about the prosecution's sword?"

He further pointed out, "Did you do something like document forgery like someone else, or some strange private equity fund, or are you investing in stocks through a nominee account? What exactly are you afraid of?"

Meanwhile, on the 5th, the Criminal Division 5 of Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Lee Sang-hyun) deployed about 30 prosecutors and investigators to conduct large-scale search and seizure operations at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy located in the Government Sejong Complex, KHNP headquarters in Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk, and the Korea Gas Corporation headquarters in Daegu.

Earlier, on the 20th of last month, the Board of Audit and Inspection announced audit results stating that the government had undervalued the economic feasibility to justify the early shutdown of Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 in 2018, and that some officials had destroyed 444 related documents during the process.

On the same day as the large-scale search and seizure of KHNP and others, the prosecution requested a 7-year prison sentence for Professor Jeong at the sentencing hearing held by the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 25-2 (Presiding Judges Im Jeong-yeop, Kwon Seong-su, Kim Seon-hee).

The prosecution described Professor Jeong's charges as "a case similar to state affairs manipulation," and pointed out, "It is a serious crime that damages constitutional values such as fairness, trust, rule of law, and representative democracy in our society, and corresponding responsibility must be held to reestablish these values."

Professor Jeong's side denied all charges, saying, "Although the prosecution says otherwise, from our position, where we do not know how the investigation originally started, it looks like a typical targeted investigation."

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