Prosecution Seeks 1-Year Prison Sentence for Jeong Jin-ung on Charges of 'Han Dong-hoon Official Violence'

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

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The prosecution has requested a prison sentence for Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong Jin-ung of the Ulsan District Prosecutors' Office, who is accused of assaulting Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon during a search and seizure operation. The court has scheduled the sentencing hearing for 2 p.m. on the 12th of next month.

On the morning of the 9th, the prosecution asked the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 22 (Presiding Judge Yang Cheol-han) to sentence Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong to one year in prison during his final hearing. The prosecution emphasized, "The defendant, who should uphold human rights and due process as a prosecutor, assaulted the subject of the investigation and caused injury during the execution of the search warrant. This is considered an important precedent for future warrant executions and human rights protection."

On that day, the prosecution stated, "The defendant's actions constitute assault under criminal law and are not minor," adding, "Nevertheless, the defendant dismissed the victim's expressions of pain as 'overacting' and continued the assault despite warnings from junior prosecutors at the scene. Such conduct cannot be justified for any reason." They further argued, "To date, the defendant has only claimed the legitimacy of his actions, has not apologized to the victim, and has made no efforts to restore the damage. Therefore, strict punishment is inevitable."

Earlier, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong was brought to trial on charges of official assault against Prosecutor Han during a search and seizure of a mobile phone SIM card in July last year, related to the 'collusion between prosecutors and media' investigation. Official assault refers to a prosecutor or police officer abusing their authority during an investigation to arrest or assault a suspect or engage in harsh treatment.

On the other hand, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong's defense argued that the actions were intended to prevent Prosecutor Han from attempting to destroy evidence and denied any assault, claiming innocence. The defense attorney explained in the closing argument, "The victim tried to prevent the phone from being taken, and the two bodies overlapped and slipped to the floor," and described the situation, "On the day of the incident, Han Dong-hoon was carrying a bag after having prior knowledge of the search and seizure and encountered the search team."

They also contended, "The defendant approached from the side, watched Han Dong-hoon's phone screen, judged that he was trying to manipulate it to destroy evidence, and reached out with his right hand to secure the phone," adding, "Han Dong-hoon stretched his hand and upper body in the opposite direction to prevent losing the phone, which was enough to turn the defendant's suspicion into certainty."

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong also stated in his final remarks, "Like other prosecutors, I take pride in trying to act fairly according to law and principles," and said, "I never intended to assault Prosecutor Han, nor did I have any reason to do so."

Prosecutor Han appeared as a witness at a previous hearing and testified, "Not giving the phone password during the search was an exercise of my right to defense." He added, "At the time, then Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae exercised her authority to direct the investigation against me, which I could only see as a political investigation, so I thought I had to exercise my constitutional right to defense."

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

Meanwhile, Kim, an employee of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office whom Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong's side had called as a witness, did not appear in court that day. After discussion, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong and his defense withdrew the witness request for Kim.

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