Prosecutors Dismiss Charges Against Jeong Seyeon and Choo Mi-ae in 'Seoul Eastern Detention Center Mass Infection' Case

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] The prosecution has dismissed all charges in the case filed against former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, among others, over the COVID-19 cluster infection incident at Seoul Eastern Detention Center last year.

The Human Rights and Honor Protection Division of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Ahn Dong-wan) announced on the 26th that it investigated nine complaints related to the COVID-19 cluster infection at the Eastern Detention Center and ruled them as 'no charges.'

Earlier this year, from January, civic groups and others had filed complaints against 11 individuals, including former Minister Choo, on charges such as dereliction of duty and abuse of authority. From late last year to early this year, about 1,200 inmates and correctional facility staff at the Eastern Detention Center tested positive due to the COVID-19 cluster infection.

The prosecution stated that based on epidemiological investigations, the initial routes of infection were estimated to be at least three sources: newly admitted inmates, inmates' external activities, and staff members, making it impossible to identify a specific source of infection. Furthermore, the first correctional officer who tested positive was found to have a different genotype from the inmates who later tested positive, making it unlikely that the officer was the cause of the cluster infection.

Additionally, after tracking and analyzing 56 inmates who tested positive and had reported suspicious symptoms before the first full-scale testing, it was confirmed that 175 out of 177 inmates sharing the same living quarters tested positive. Considering the characteristics of COVID-19, which can be transmitted asymptomatically, it was deemed difficult to determine the sequence of infection.

Moreover, although some inadequate measures by the Eastern Detention Center staff were identified, such as failure to provide masks according to internal standards for a certain period and delays in diagnostic testing for inmates with high fever symptoms, necessary measures were taken to prevent further infections. Taking into account the overcrowded conditions of the Eastern Detention Center and the unprecedented large-scale infection incident, it was judged that negligence was unlikely.

The prosecution also concluded that, considering daily situation reports and visits by epidemiologists and other outsiders, there was no evidence to support allegations of orders to conceal information.

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