Supreme Court to Deliver Verdict on Han Dong-hoon and Jeong Jin-woong's 'Official Violence' Case on the 30th of This Month

1st Trial "At Least Conditional Intent Exists" 4 Months Imprisonment with 1 Year Probation
2nd Trial "Conditional Intent Not Recognized... Serious Reflection Needed" Acquittal

Jeong Jin-woong, a research fellow at the Judicial Research and Training Institute of the Ministry of Justice (then head of the Criminal Division 1 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office), who was indicted on charges of assaulting Prosecutor General Han Dong-hoon during a search and seizure operation, is attending the continued second trial hearing on March 29 at the Seoul High Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] Jeong Jin-ung, a research fellow at the Legal Research and Training Institute who was indicted for official assault against Prosecutor General Han Dong-hoon (current Minister of Justice), will receive a ruling from the Supreme Court at the end of this month.

According to the legal community on the 21st, the Supreme Court's First Division (Presiding Justice Park Jeong-hwa) will deliver a verdict on the appeal trial of Research Fellow Jeong, who is charged with official assault under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, on the 30th of this month.

Research Fellow Jeong was prosecuted on charges including official assault during the execution of a search and seizure warrant against Minister Han, who was suspected of being involved in the so-called ‘Channel A case,’ while serving as the chief prosecutor of the Criminal Division 1 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on July 29, 2020.

Official assault refers to a prosecutor or police officer abusing their authority during an investigation to arrest or assault a suspect or inflict cruel treatment.

The first trial sentenced Research Fellow Jeong to four months in prison with one year of probation and one year of disqualification. The trial court stated, "The defendant assaulted the victim based on a subjective judgment that the victim was attempting to destroy evidence during the execution of the search and seizure warrant," and added, "There was at least a minimal form of indirect intent to exert physical force on the body, not merely an intention to seize the mobile phone."

However, the court judged that Minister Han did not suffer injury from the official assault by Research Fellow Jeong, and thus applied the charge of general official assault rather than official assault under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.

However, the second trial overturned the first trial’s verdict and acquitted him. The appellate court stated, "Based solely on the evidence submitted by the prosecution, it is difficult to conclude that the defendant recognized the possibility of causing physical force to the victim or had the internal intention to exert such force," and did not acknowledge Research Fellow Jeong’s indirect intent.

At the same time, the court noted, "This does not mean that the execution of duty at that time was deemed justifiable," and pointed out, "Even if the defendant returns to duty, it is necessary to deeply reflect and seriously contemplate the shortcomings in his actions during the warrant execution process and the pain the victim had to endure."

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