'Seongnam FC Sponsorship Fund Allegation' Presents a Chance for the Corruption Investigation Office

Kim Osu and Park Eunjeong Accused of Investigation Cover-up
Reviewing Whether to Investigate... Could It Be a 'Twist Card'?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The controversy over the investigation cover-up of the ‘Seongnam FC sponsorship fund suspicion’ by the Seongnam Branch Office is emerging as a trump card for the High-ranking Officials’ Crime Investigation Division (HOCI).

On the 4th, HOCI is reviewing whether to initiate an investigation into the case in which the ‘Lawyers for Human Rights and Unification of Korea (Hanbyun)’ filed a complaint the previous day against Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo and Park Eun-jung, head of the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office Seongnam Branch. HOCI is expected to conduct a complainant investigation and decide whether to register the case. Hanbyun accused Prosecutor General Kim and Branch Chief Park of dereliction of duty and abuse of authority, alleging that they issued improper orders and exerted pressure to prevent the investigation into the ‘Seongnam FC sponsorship fund suspicion.’ Prior to this, the ‘Committee for the Protection of the Common People’s Livelihood’ filed a complaint against Branch Chief Park for abuse of authority with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, which is also being transferred to HOCI.

The legal community evaluates, "This could be a good opportunity for HOCI, which has faced criticism over issues such as the communication record inquiry controversy." The case is also well-suited for HOCI, which handles cases related to prosecutors, and if successful, it could change the situation where HOCI had been on the defensive.

Support is growing for HOCI’s involvement. Although the prosecution is conducting an internal fact-finding investigation under the direction of Prosecutor General Kim, it is unclear when a conclusion will be reached based on precedent. There are calls to entrust the case to a special prosecutor, but the feasibility is extremely low. Ultimately, the only entity capable of conducting the investigation is HOCI. Since the beginning of this year, HOCI has been reorganizing and renewing its atmosphere. The previous afternoon, it held the first meeting after forming an investigative advisory group to gather expert opinions on the legality controversies that arose during the investigation process, such as the ‘communication record inquiry.’ It announced a draft amendment to the case handling regulations and decided to abolish the Case Investigation and Analysis Office as part of organizational restructuring. It also decided to remove the ‘conditional transfer’ (transfer with retention of prosecution rights) that had caused conflicts with the prosecution and the police’s authority to request arrest and detention warrants. Internal personnel changes are also expected next month.

If HOCI decides to investigate the Seongnam Branch Office’s alleged investigation cover-up, it is likely that the investigation will proceed with a new team next month when the investigation gets on track. However, the scope of the investigation may be limited to the prosecution leadership. Last October, when HOCI transferred the Daejang-dong development preferential treatment and lobbying suspicion case to the prosecution, it stated that "the mayor of Seongnam does not qualify as a high-ranking official."

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