Court: "Prosecutors' Non-Indictment Decision on Kim Hak-ui's Inadequate Investigation Allegations Is Justified"

Former Deputy Minister of Justice Kim Hak-ui
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo Seong-pil] A court has ruled that the decision not to prosecute the prosecutors accused of conducting a negligent investigation into the sexual crime case involving former Deputy Minister of Justice Kim Hak-ui was lawful.

According to the legal community on the 10th, the Criminal Division 31 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Ham Sang-hoon) dismissed a petition for reconsideration filed by women's organizations against three prosecutors who conducted the investigation into the Kim Hak-ui case at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in the past. The court ruled that "there is insufficient evidence to recognize that the prosecutors' decision not to prosecute was unjust." A petition for reconsideration is a system where, if one disagrees with the prosecution's decision not to prosecute, they request the court to decide whether to file charges. If the court accepts the petition, the prosecutors must file charges.

Earlier, 37 civic groups including Korea Women's Hotline filed a complaint with the police in 2019 against four prosecutors involved in the investigation at the time, accusing them of abuse of authority for allegedly conducting a negligent investigation into the suspicions of sexual entertainment at the villa of former Deputy Minister Kim and construction businessman Yoon Joong-chun. The police, stating that the accusations were not substantiated, forwarded the case to the prosecution with a recommendation not to prosecute. The prosecution decided not to prosecute three prosecutors first, citing the imminent expiration of the statute of limitations. The civic groups filed a petition for reconsideration last November, challenging the prosecution's decision.

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