'Handonghun's Official Misconduct' Charge Jeong Jin-woong Trial Concludes Today... What Is the Prosecutor's Sentence Request?

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

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The trial of Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong Jin-ung of the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office, who is accused of assaulting Prosecutor General Han Dong-hoon during a search and seizure operation, is coming to a close.

According to the court on the 28th, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 22 (Presiding Judge Yang Cheol-han) will hold the closing arguments for Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong at 10 a.m. that day. The prosecution plans to conduct about 30 minutes of defendant questioning and present final opinions, including sentencing recommendations.

Previously, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong has been accused of assaulting Prosecutor General Han during the seizure of Han's mobile phone SIM card in July last year as part of the investigation into the 'prosecutor-media collusion' allegations. Official assault refers to a prosecutor or police officer abusing their authority during an investigation to arrest or assault a suspect or commit harsh acts.

In response, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong's side has claimed innocence, arguing that the actions were intended to prevent Prosecutor General Han from attempting to destroy evidence and that no assault occurred.

On the other hand, Prosecutor General Han testified as a witness at the fifth trial session held on the 21st of last month, stating, "Not providing the mobile phone password during the search was an exercise of my right to defense." He added, "Then Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae exercised her authority to direct the investigation, leading to an investigation against me, which I could only see as political, so I decided to exercise my constitutional right to defense."

In a video played during the trial shortly after the incident, Prosecutor General Han is heard shouting, "Didn't you show me (the phone)?" to which Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong replies, "I asked to check it, but it wasn't given. What if you open it and manipulate it?" Also, when Prosecutor General Han claimed, "Didn't you say you would call your lawyer? To call, you have to unlock (the screen with your hand)," Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong responded, "Don't you usually use Face ID (facial recognition lock)?"

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong was recently appointed as Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Ulsan District Prosecutors' Office in the mid-level prosecutor personnel reshuffle effective from the 2nd of next month.

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