Police, Kim Jin-wook, Head of the Corruption Investigation Office, Declines to Prosecute 'Special Favor Investigation of Lee Sung-yoon and Allegations of Unfair Stock Acquisition'

Photo by Moon Honam, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency archive / Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The police have decided not to prosecute the cases related to allegations that Kim Jin-wook, the head of the High-ranking Officials’ Crime Investigation Office (Gong-su-cheo), gave preferential treatment in the investigation of Lee Seong-yoon, the Seoul High Prosecutor General, and improperly acquired stocks.

According to the police on the 10th, the Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced that it decided not to prosecute two cases in which Kim was accused of bribery, obstruction of official duties by deception, and violations of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.

Kim was involved in controversy over "preferential investigation" after it was revealed that on March 7 last year, he summoned Lee, then the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, to the Gong-su-cheo office as a suspect and provided a Genesis official vehicle. Kim was also embroiled in controversy for holding stocks worth about 100 million won in MikrobioMed, a diagnostic kit and equipment manufacturer whose CEO is an alumnus from his study period in the United States, during the National Assembly confirmation hearing in January last year.

Subsequently, the civic group Speculation Capital Watchdog Center filed complaints against Kim regarding these two issues. The police conducted a written investigation of Kim as a suspect in October last year. A police official stated, "After thoroughly investigating Kim’s allegations, including obtaining an authoritative interpretation from the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, we concluded that no illegality could be recognized."

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