Jeong Jin-woong Facing Trial, Currently on Self-Recusal from Duties

Attended from the beginning of Lee Dong-jae's trial
Absent after indictment for official assault
Seems voluntary amid conflict between Chu and Yoon

Jung Jin-woong, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong Jin-ung of the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office attended the trial of former Channel A reporter Lee Dong-jae, known for the 'media-prosecution collusion' case, last September, sparking various reactions within the legal community. It is unusual for a deputy chief prosecutor to appear in court from the early stages of a trial. Typically, the investigation team sends a lower-ranking deputy chief prosecutor or a regular prosecutor. This indicates the level of enthusiasm for the case, but some in the legal community mocked it as being a 'gwanjong' (attention seeker).

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong showed great passion during the trial. At Lee's first hearing, he had junior prosecutor Kim Ji-yoon read the entire indictment. This was an unusual scene, as most hearings only reveal the summary of charges. He said, "Because this is an important case, I will have the full indictment read." Following Jeong's instruction, Prosecutor Kim read the 23-page indictment over 30 minutes.

However, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong has recently not appeared at Lee's hearings. He has been absent since the 6th hearing on the 30th of last month and also did not attend the 8th hearing held on the 16th. The 6th hearing took place shortly after Jeong was indicted on charges of official violence against Chief Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon. Around this time, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office requested the Ministry of Justice to suspend Jeong from his duties. Although Jeong has not personally explained his absence, the legal community speculates that he is voluntarily absent amid the controversy over his suspension. Currently, there is a conflict between the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office regarding Jeong's suspension and indictment.

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong showed exceptional enthusiasm from the investigation stage of the so-called 'media-prosecution collusion' case, which is viewed as targeting the 'Yoon Seok-yeol faction.' While serving as head of the Criminal Division 1 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office last July, he personally visited the scene to seize the USIM card from Chief Prosecutor Han's mobile phone. It is very rare for a deputy chief prosecutor to conduct a seizure personally. During this operation, the official violence incident occurred. Jeong grabbed Chief Prosecutor Han's arm and shoulder and pushed him under a sofa, causing injuries requiring three weeks of medical treatment.

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong will face his first trial on the charge of official violence on the 20th. The pretrial hearing will be held at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 22 (Presiding Judge Yang Cheol-han). Since the pretrial hearing does not require the defendant's attendance, it is unlikely that Jeong will appear in person. Previously, Jeong's legal team stated, "We will faithfully participate in the trial and actively assert the legitimacy of the actions taken during the execution of duty at that time."

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