'Jin Jin-woong, accused of Han Dong-hoon official assault, trial postponed due to COVID-19 test'

Jung Jin-woong, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office / Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The sentencing hearing for Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong Jin-ung of the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office, who is accused of assaulting Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon during a search and seizure operation, has been postponed. This is because he was tested after overlapping movements with a confirmed COVID-19 case.

On the 28th, the Criminal Division 22 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Yang Cheol-han) was scheduled to hold the sentencing hearing for Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong, who was indicted on charges of official assault, but postponed it to the 19th of next month due to Jeong's absence.

On that day, Jeong's defense attorney explained to the court, "He dined at the same time in a restaurant where a confirmed case occurred," and added, "The test results are expected to come out today." However, it has not yet been confirmed whether Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong was classified as a close contact or if self-quarantine was required.

Previously, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong has been accused of assaulting Prosecutor 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, assault, or inflict harsh treatment on a suspect.

So far, Jeong's defense has claimed innocence, arguing that the actions were intended to prevent Prosecutor Han from attempting to destroy evidence and that no assault occurred.

On the other hand, Prosecutor Han testified as a witness at the fifth trial session held on the 21st of last month, stating, "Not providing the 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 a political investigation against me, so I felt compelled to exercise my constitutional right to defense."

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

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.