'Accusation Instigation Allegation' Son Junsung First Trial Sentencing Date Postponed to End of January

The first trial sentencing date for Son Junsung (50, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 29), Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Daegu High Prosecutors' Office (Prosecutor General), who was indicted on suspicion of 'accusation instigation,' has been postponed to the end of this month. The original sentencing date was the 12th.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Criminal Division 27 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Ok-gon) changed the sentencing date for Deputy Chief Prosecutor Son's case, indicted on charges including violation of the Public Official Election Act, from the originally scheduled January 12 to January 31.

Earlier in November, the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office requested a sentence of three years imprisonment for Deputy Chief Prosecutor Son on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act, and two years imprisonment for charges of leaking official secrets, violating the Personal Information Protection Act, and violating the Act on the Promotion of Electronic Criminal Procedure. This was in accordance with the separate sentencing provisions under the Public Official Election Act.

If the court accepts the prosecution's request and sentences him to imprisonment, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Son may lose his position as a prosecutor. According to the National Public Service Act, a public official is automatically dismissed if sentenced to imprisonment or higher.

The High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office prosecutor stated, "Deputy Chief Prosecutor Son has denied the substantive facts of the case and has continuously presented only various possibilities without reasonable explanations, showing no remorse for the occurrence of this case," adding, "If Deputy Chief Prosecutor Son is not severely punished and national discipline is not properly established, acts of abusing prosecutorial power for private purposes, which disrupt national order, will be repeated."

In his final statement, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Son said, "I clearly state that I did not conspire with Assemblyman Kim Woong to instigate accusations," and "During my 20 years of public service, I have never acted against my conscience as a prosecutor." He emphasized, "I earnestly ask the court to make a decision based on evidence and law."

The court said, "Even if the original author of the accusation letter cannot be identified, it is an important issue whether it was created within the Correction Office or the prosecution, or whether it is related to the Correction Office's duties," and added, "It is also a matter whether a third party might have been involved between Deputy Chief Prosecutor Son and Assemblyman Kim."

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Son was indicted on charges of instigating accusations against ruling party figures such as former Assemblyman Choi Kang-wook and Yoo Si-min, then chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, to Assemblyman Kim Woong just before the April 2020 general election while serving as the head of the Investigation Information Policy Office at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. During this process, he is also accused of exchanging two accusation letter images and real-name judgment documents regarding ruling party figures with Assemblyman Kim via the Telegram messenger.

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Son has consistently denied the charges throughout the trial, stating that he neither sent materials to Assemblyman Kim nor conspired with him.

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Son was promoted to Prosecutor General in the regular personnel reshuffle last September while undergoing trial on suspicion of accusation instigation.

Han Suhyun, Legal Times Reporter

※This article is based on content supplied by Law Times.

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