Handonghun Mentioned as Suwon District Chief Prosecutor... Gyeonggi Nambu Police "Unrelated to Prosecutor Personnel, Investigation Continues"

Investigation into Daejang-dong and Baekhyeon-dong Projects
"We Will Deliver Results That the Public Can Accept"

Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Han Dong-hoon, Deputy Director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute (Chief Prosecutor), who was suspected of collusion between prosecutors and media in the 'Channel A incident,' has been cleared of charges after two years, shedding his status as a suspect. Although the variable of an 'appeal' remains, there is speculation that Prosecutor Han will return as the head of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office or to a similar position in the next prosecution personnel reshuffle. The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, which cooperates with the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office and receives some investigation directives, is also closely monitoring Prosecutor Han's next move.

According to investigative authorities on the 8th, the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency is conducting multiple investigations related to former Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung. These include allegations of preferential treatment in the Daejang-dong and Baekhyeon-dong development projects, suspicions of an unofficial camp at the Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Corporation (GH) dormitory, misuse of corporate cards by Kim Hye-kyung, the Twitter account allegations involving Hye-gyeong-gung Kim, and illegal gambling and prostitution allegations involving his eldest son Dong-ho. They are also directing the investigation into the 'Seongnam FC sponsorship fund allegations' being handled by the Seongnam Bundang Police Station.

Once the Gyeonggi Nambu Police completes investigations into these cases, they will transfer them to the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office. The Seongnam FC sponsorship fund case will be handed over to the Seongnam Branch Office, a subordinate agency of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office. The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office receives the investigation results from the police and decides whether to prosecute. If the investigation is deemed insufficient, they may conduct direct investigations or request supplementary investigations from the police. In this process, there is a possibility that the existing police investigation results could be overturned. The head of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office exercises approval authority over this series of procedures.

Earlier, Choi Seung-ryeol, head of the Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency, commented on the completion timing of investigations handled by the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division, saying, "I don't think we can say it must be finished before the new president's inauguration." This implies that investigations could continue beyond May. In such a case, decisions regarding supplementary investigations or prosecution will likely fall to the successor of the current Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Chief, Shin Seong-sik. Chief Shin is expected to be transferred in the prosecution reshuffle likely to take place around July.

Prosecutor General Han Dong-hoon [Image source=Yonhap News]

Among the candidates for the successor is Prosecutor Han. He is a representative special prosecutor within the prosecution, having served as the inaugural head of the Fair Trade Investigation Division at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, the 3rd Deputy Chief Prosecutor, and head of the Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. However, after leading the investigation into former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, he was transferred to the position of Deputy Chief Prosecutor at the Busan High Prosecutors' Office in January 2020 and has spent over two years in non-investigative roles. Nevertheless, on the 6th, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office dismissed the coercion attempt charges against Prosecutor Han, removing obstacles to his appointment, according to interpretations.

Currently, the prosecution and police are engaged in a tug-of-war over issues such as the prosecution's direct supplementary investigations and the possibility of requesting transfers of police non-prosecution cases, following President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's campaign promise to expand prosecutorial powers. In this context, if Prosecutor Han is appointed as head of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office and leads investigations into various cases involving figures from the current administration, it could pose a burden for the police as well. However, a senior official from the Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency stated, "Regardless of prosecution personnel changes, we will continue investigations as we have been. We will ensure that the prosecution does not overturn our investigation results and that we produce outcomes that the public can accept."

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