[After the Verdict] Unresolved Questions... Why Did the 'Perpetrator' Jeong Jin-ung Get Hospitalized?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong Jin-woong of Ulsan District Prosecutors' Office will start his first day as a research fellow at the Judicial Research and Training Institute on the 23rd. He is moving from a position commanding investigations to a non-investigative post. This is a disciplinary personnel action. The incident began last July during a search and seizure when he got into a physical altercation with Chief Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon. Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong was indicted on charges of official assault under the Special Act and was found guilty in the first trial on the 12th. The Ministry of Justice's personnel action was taken six days after this verdict.

The Physical Altercation Described in the Verdict

The first trial verdict document for Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong is 30 pages long on A4 paper. It contains the facts of the crime and the court's judgment in refined sentences. Among them, the part describing the physical altercation, in other words, the physical contact, is one page long. It reads as follows.

The defendant (Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong) found it strange that the victim (Chief Prosecutor Han) was manipulating the mobile phone without unlocking it using Face ID, contrary to prior reports. The defendant thought the victim was entering a password to delete content and destroy evidence.

The defendant then stood up and hurriedly approached the victim, saying, "You shouldn't do this." When the defendant reached out to take the phone, the victim leaned back while seated and stretched out his hand in the opposite direction to prevent the phone from being taken.

The defendant continued to extend his arm, pressing his body against the victim's to grab the phone. During this process, the victim, pressed by the defendant's body, cried out "Ah, ah" in pain. Another prosecutor said, "Be careful, you might get hurt." Eventually, with the defendant's body pressed and overlapping on the victim, their center of gravity tilted diagonally downward, and the two fell to the floor beside the sofa with a 'thud' sound.

Even after falling to the floor overlapped, the defendant continued trying to take the phone from the victim's hand. Following the defendant's instructions, an investigator took the phone from the victim's hand and placed it on the table. Then both got up from the floor, ending the physical contact.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

"The Assault Did Not Cause Injury to a Degree..."

The court pointed out this while finding Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong guilty in the verdict. "He pressed Chief Prosecutor Han's body and exerted considerable physical force on him." The court elaborated, "The defendant continued to press his body down to take the phone despite the victim screaming 'Ah, ah' and another prosecutor's warning about possible injury." and "Even after falling to the floor and mounting the victim's body, the defendant did not adjust his posture or stop physical contact but kept trying to take the phone." This means the court recognized that Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong assaulted Chief Prosecutor Han and had at least implied intent in doing so.

However, the court ruled, "It is difficult to acknowledge that Chief Prosecutor Han sustained injury due to the assault by Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong." Considering the hospital treatment details and duration comprehensively, it judged that it was hard to see that he suffered an injury such as a cervical sprain requiring three weeks of treatment. The doctor who issued the injury certificate testified in court that "There was no particular problem with Chief Prosecutor Han's anterior longitudinal ligament, and the term was included only due to the disease code input process." This testimony supported the court's judgment. Accordingly, the court convicted the defendant of official assault under the Criminal Act, not under the Special Act based on injury to the victim.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Full-Body Muscle Pain for the Assailant

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong was admitted to a general hospital emergency room on the day he had the physical altercation with Chief Prosecutor Han last year. He received treatment for about five hours, including intravenous fluids, before being discharged. At that time, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong took a photo of himself lying on an emergency room bed receiving IV fluids and released it to the media. The question remains unresolved. Why did he visit the hospital emergency room? The court's verdict document does not contain information to answer this question. According to the verdict, he was the person who assaulted Chief Prosecutor Han. Although the term physical contact is used, there is no mention of any impact on his body. He is thoroughly portrayed as the perpetrator.

At that time, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong visited the hospital emergency room due to full-body muscle pain. Full-body muscle pain is a symptom that generally does not require hospitalization for ordinary people. It is commonly understood as muscle soreness caused by suddenly using muscles that are not usually used. There are rumors that his visit to the emergency room for such 'muscle soreness' was involuntary, but these are merely hearsay. It has not been confirmed.

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong appealed the first trial verdict. Going forward, he is expected to participate in trials as a research fellow at the Judicial Research and Training Institute. Whether the 'real reason' for his hospital emergency room visit will be revealed in the appellate trial remains uncertain. This is a matter of facts recognized by the court, not facts to be judged. The appellate trial for Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong's official assault case will be held at the Seoul High Court. The panel to handle the trial has not yet been decided.

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