Handonghun: "Enduring Power's Retaliation Is Also a Prosecutor's Duty... I Will Handle It"

Senior Prosecutor Transferred to Deputy Director of Judicial Research and Training Institute in High-Level Personnel Reshuffle

Chief Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon. / Photo by Jin-hyeong Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] In the high-ranking personnel reshuffle of the prosecution conducted on the 4th, Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon, who was transferred to the position of Deputy Director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, stated, "Enduring retaliation from power is also part of a prosecutor's job," and added, "I will handle it calmly."

Prosecutor Han made this statement in a message sent to the media immediately after the announcement of the prosecution personnel reshuffle that day.

He said, "On the first day I started as a public official 20 years ago, I thought I had achieved all the success I would ever have in my life," and added, "Common sense and justice are not free, so there is no need to feel wronged."

Last year, Prosecutor Han was demoted from Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Busan High Prosecutors' Office to a research fellow at the Legal Research and Training Institute after being involved in the 'Channel A Coercion Attempt' case.

At that time, Minister Choo ordered an inspection of Prosecutor Han, and the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office conducted a rigorous investigation into him, but ultimately failed to prove his charges.

The Prosecution Investigation Deliberation Committee, convened in July last year, had an overwhelming majority of members recommend 'suspension of investigation' and 'non-prosecution' regarding Prosecutor Han.

However, Lee Sung-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, ignored the recommendations of the Investigation Deliberation Committee and dismissed reports from the investigation team and the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office command line that Prosecutor Han should be non-prosecuted, delaying approval and causing a collective backlash.

On the previous day, Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo, who met with Minister Park Beom-gye to discuss personnel matters for prosecutors at the level of chief prosecutor and above, reportedly requested Minister Park to allow Prosecutor Han to return to frontline prosecution offices, but Minister Park did not accept the request.

With the abolition of the judicial examination, the last trainee completed training earlier this year at the Judicial Research and Training Institute, and a trainee who had delayed entry has recently joined. However, unlike before, there are currently no prosecutors among the institute's faculty, effectively leaving Prosecutor Han only holding the position of Deputy Director.

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