Former Chief Prosecutor Who Assaulted Junior Prosecutor Receives Reduced Sentence of 8 Months Imprisonment and Is Sentenced to Prison in Second Trial

Court: "Risk of Flight" Leads to Detention in Court

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] Kim Dae-hyun, former deputy chief prosecutor of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office (age 52, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 27), who drove the late prosecutor Kim Hong-young to an extreme choice through verbal abuse and assault, was sentenced to prison and taken into custody in the second trial.

The 8-3 Criminal Appeal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judges Jang Yoon-sun, Kim Ye-young, Kim Bong-gyu) sentenced former Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim to 8 months in prison on the 18th for assault charges and ordered his immediate detention, citing "risk of flight."

The court stated, "The defendant's actions constitute workplace harassment, which led to the victim's extreme choice, making a prison sentence inevitable. However, the degree of the assault itself cannot be considered severe, and it appears the defendant had no malicious intent. It seems that, immersed in an organizational culture that prioritizes case processing performance above all else and sacrifices the dignity of subordinates, the defendant committed these acts with the intention of strictly disciplining the victim."

However, the court also noted that since former Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim had no prior criminal record before this incident and was dismissed from his position, the one-year prison sentence given in the first trial was too harsh, thus reducing the sentence.

Immediately after the verdict, former Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim said, "Due to my outdated mistakes, a regrettable incident occurred," and apologized, saying, "I am sorry to Prosecutor Kim's parents."

Previously, former Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim was indicted on charges of assaulting Prosecutor Kim from March to May 2016. Prosecutor Kim was found dead at his home in May of that year, leaving a note expressing the burden and pressure from work.

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