Police Officer Accused of 'Jung Joon-young Inadequate Investigation' Reduced to Fine in Second Trial

Singer Jung Joon-young Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] A police officer who was prosecuted for a botched investigation into singer Jung Joon-young's illegal filming case had some charges acquitted in the appellate court, resulting in a reduced sentence.

According to the legal community on the 6th, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Appeal Division 5-2 (Presiding Judges Won Jeongsuk, Jeong Deoksu, Choi Byeongryul) sentenced A (57), who was prosecuted for charges including falsification of official documents, to a fine of 2 million won. This is a reduced sentence compared to the first trial, which sentenced him to a suspended prison term, a fine of 50,000 won, and ordered the confiscation of 17,667 won.

Earlier, A was prosecuted on charges of deliberately mishandling the investigation of Jung Joon-young's 'illegal filming case' in August 2016 and falsifying official documents.

The prosecution viewed that A falsely recorded suspect statements or failed to secure crime videos in response to a request from Jung Joon-young's defense lawyer to "quickly handle the case without securing mobile phones or forensic data."

The first trial found all charges against A guilty, but the second trial acquitted him of all charges except for the falsification of 'original document comparison' on some documents. It was determined that A, acting under the instructions of superiors, forwarded the case to the prosecution without securing forensic data to expedite the process, without intent to mishandle the case.

Additionally, although Jung Joon-young's lawyer submitted a statement requesting a dismissal of charges, it was found that there was no request for expedited handling or that A complied with such a request. The contents of the investigation report prepared by A were also largely consistent with the truth.

The appellate court stated, "It is difficult to see that the defendant complied with Jung Joon-young's side's request," and "there is insufficient evidence to conclude that he consciously abandoned his duties as a judicial police officer."

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