Court to Reassess Public Corruption Investigation Office's Non-Prosecution Decision on Yoon Seok-yeol in the 'Han Myeong-sook Case'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The case involving allegations that Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate who was not prosecuted by the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency, obstructed the investigation into the 'former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook's perjury coaching case' is set to be reconsidered by the court.

According to the legal community on the 4th, the Criminal Division 30 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Bae Gwang-guk, Jo Jin-gu, Park Eun-young) received a retrial petition filed by the civic group Judicial Justice Restoration Citizens' Action (Sasehaeng) on the 2nd.

A retrial petition is an objection procedure filed by a complainant or accuser who has received a non-prosecution notice. The court that receives it conducts a closed hearing similar to an appeal procedure. Afterwards, within three months, it decides whether to indict or dismiss the case.

This case concerns allegations that during the May 2020 investigation of former Prime Minister Han's case, when candidate Yoon and Cho Nam-gwan were serving as Prosecutor General and Deputy Chief of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office respectively, they obstructed fact-finding and investigation related to the perjury coaching suspicion.

The High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency had investigated the two last year on charges of abuse of authority and dereliction of duty following Sasehaeng's accusation, but on the 9th of last month, they were cleared due to insufficient evidence.

Disagreeing with this, Sasehaeng filed a retrial petition with the agency on the 23rd of last month. Kim Han-me, the representative of Sasehaeng, strongly urged, "We strongly call for this case involving candidate Yoon to reveal the substantive truth before history and the people, and to become an opportunity to restore judicial justice in this country."

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