Deaths of People Related to Daejang-dong Continue... Legal Community Calls for "Protective Measures"

Voices on Personal Protection Measures for Related Parties - Prosecution's 'Special Management' Opinion... Some Also Advocate for Expanding "Detention Investigations"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] As individuals involved in the development of Daejang-dong in Seongnam City have died one after another, voices calling for related countermeasures are emerging.

On the 22nd, legal circles said, "During the investigation by the prosecution and others, it is necessary to review whether personal protection for key case-related persons is possible, and more measures should be created to protect the human rights of those involved during prosecution investigations." A lawyer in Seocho-dong said, "It is difficult to predict who might make an extreme choice in advance, but since important criminal cases always carry such a possibility, there must be preventive measures to protect precious lives."

Within the prosecution, there have long been many opinions that the investigation team should frequently report and consult with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office on important cases and specially manage the persons involved. However, there has been no concrete discussion yet. Last December, when Mr. Lee (54), who worked as the deputy chief of the party leader's office for former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon, committed suicide while under investigation by the prosecution on charges of receiving money from Optimus Asset Management, then Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol ordered a special directive to the front lines to investigate whether there were any human rights violations during the prosecution investigation and to pay special attention to the safety issues of suspects and victims.

There are also many claims that detention investigations should be increased. The reasoning is that if key figures in the case are detained in a detention center, the likelihood of making an extreme choice is relatively low. However, this could lead to the excessive issuance of detention warrants and unnecessarily restrict the physical freedom of suspects, infringing on their basic rights, so discussions with courts and others are necessary.

The prosecution is expected to take necessary measures after reviewing the police investigation results related to the death of Kim Moon-gi, head of Development Division 1 at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, similar to the case of former Development Project Director Yoon Han-gi. If deemed necessary for the investigation, they may conduct a search and seizure of Kim’s mobile phone and office. The Bundang Police Station in Gyeonggi announced on the same day that they decided to perform an autopsy to clarify the exact cause of Kim’s death. The autopsy will be conducted on the 23rd at the National Forensic Service. No will was found.

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