'Abuse of Authority' Jung Jin-woong Denies Charges in First Trial... "Thankful for Han Dong-hoon's Claim"

Chief Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon and Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong Jin-woong of Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office (right) [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong Jin-ung, who was indicted on charges of assaulting Prosecutor General Han Dong-hoon during a search and seizure related to the 'media collusion' case, denied the charges at his first trial.

At the first hearing of the case held at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 22 (Presiding Judge Yang Cheol-han), Jeong's defense attorney argued, "The defendant's actions were a legitimate performance of duty corresponding to the search warrant," and added, "It was not official violence, nor was there any intent." The attorney also stated, "Prosecutor Han claimed that the defendant threw his body onto him, but thankfully, this differs from the substantive truth."

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong also said, "According to the indictment, it seems as if I intentionally climbed on and pressed down on Prosecutor Han, but I never intended to assault him," and added, "While our bodies were in close contact, it was only because I lost my balance while securing the mobile phone." He further stated, "Since this matter was not done with the intent to abuse authority, no crime can be established."

The court decided to proceed with witness examination as Jeong denied the charges. Witnesses who were present at the scene during the incident will be called for questioning. The next hearing is scheduled for March 10. Although the court initially planned to continue the trial next month, Jeong's defense attorney requested a postponement due to another trial, and this decision was made accordingly.

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong was indicted in October last year on charges of assaulting Prosecutor Han during the search and seizure of Han's mobile phone USIM card in connection with the attempted coercion case involving former Channel A reporter Lee Dong-jae in July last year. Investigations revealed that when Prosecutor Han reached for his phone, Jeong grabbed his arm and shoulder and pushed him down under the sofa, causing injuries requiring three weeks of medical treatment.

The Supreme Prosecutors' Office requested the Ministry of Justice to suspend Jeong from his duties due to this case. After reviewing the request, the Ministry reconsidered the suspension. During this process, friction arose between the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and the Ministry of Justice. Amid the controversy over his suspension, Jeong was absent from the trial of former Channel A reporter Lee Dong-jae's attempted coercion case, in which he was directly responsible for prosecution.

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