Police Do Not Prosecute Prime Minister Han Deok-su Over 'Kim & Chang 2 Billion Won Suspicion'

No Prosecution for Kim & Chang Officials and Others

The police have decided not to prosecute Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is suspected of receiving high-value bribe-like advisory fees from Kim & Chang law firm.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] The police have decided not to prosecute Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is suspected of receiving high-value bribe-like advisory fees from the law firm Kim & Chang.

The Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 18th that it had decided not to prosecute Prime Minister Han, who was reported on August 29 and September 27 for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (bribery) and abuse of authority, citing lack of prosecutorial jurisdiction.

In April, the civic group Speculation Capital Watchdog Center raised suspicions of preferential treatment for former officials and conflicts of interest, claiming that Prime Minister Han received about 2 billion KRW during his tenure as an advisor at Kim & Chang from 2002 to 2003 and from 2017 to 2022. They filed a complaint against Prime Minister Han with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

They also claimed that Prime Minister Han received 150 million KRW during his advisory period and, after being appointed Deputy Prime Minister during the Roh Moo-hyun administration in 2006, was involved in the sale of Korea Exchange Bank to the foreign private equity fund Lone Star, which was legally represented by Kim & Chang, causing losses to the national treasury.

Additionally, it was alleged that in 2017, when Han was appointed chairman of the Supreme Court Justice Recommendation Committee under Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae, he received a request from Kim & Chang to appoint favorable judges and, in return, was hired as an advisor and received advisory fees amounting to 1.87 billion KRW.

The police judged that the statute of limitations had expired for the bribery charges under the Special Act and found no evidence of wrongdoing. Regarding the allegations related to the Supreme Court justice recommendation, they concluded that under the Court Organization Act, the chairman of the Supreme Court Recommendation Committee cannot be considered a public official subject to bribery charges. The charge of obstruction of official duties by deception was dismissed.

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