'Late Prosecutor Kim Hong-Young Assault' Kim Dae-Hyun Requests Indictment Amendment at First Trial

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-seop] The former Chief Prosecutor Kim Dae-hyun, accused of repeatedly verbally abusing and assaulting the late Prosecutor Kim Hong-young, requested a change to the prosecution's indictment in the first trial.

At the first hearing of the case held on the 12th at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 5 (Presiding Judge Kim Jun-hyuk), the defense attorney stated, "We do not deny the fact that the victim was contacted," but added, "There are facts unrelated to the charges in the indictment, so a change to the indictment is necessary." The prosecution did not disclose its position on the charges. Typically, in the first hearing of a criminal case, the prosecution presents the gist of the charges, and the defense states their position regarding acknowledgment or denial. The defense explained, "We will clarify our acknowledgment after the indictment is amended," adding, "Depending on whether the indictment is changed, we can decide whether to request witnesses for review." The court accepted the defense's claim and requested the prosecution to "preferably submit their opinions in writing." The next hearing was scheduled for the 4th of next month.

According to the prosecution, former Chief Prosecutor Kim, who was working in the Criminal Division of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office from March to May 2016, is accused of assaulting Prosecutor Kim, his subordinate, multiple times. Prosecutor Kim took his own life in May of that year. The investigation by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Inspection Headquarters revealed that former Chief Prosecutor Kim habitually verbally abused and assaulted Prosecutor Kim over approximately two years. The Ministry of Justice dismissed former Chief Prosecutor Kim in August of that year. Following a complaint from the Korean Bar Association, the prosecution launched an investigation and indicted former Chief Prosecutor Kim without detention on assault charges in October last year.

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