Prosecution Dismisses Abuse of Authority Case Against Sangsok Mo Over Constitutional Court Justice Appointments

Prosecution Concludes Actions Were in Fulfillment of Constitutional Duties
Dismisses Case Against Former National Investigation Headquarters Chief for Disclosure of Facts

The prosecution has dismissed a case filed against former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Sangsok Mo, who was accused of abusing his authority by appointing Constitutional Court justices during his time as acting president.

Sangsuk Cho, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, attended the comprehensive policy inquiry on supplementary budget review at the plenary session of the National Assembly Budget and Accounts Committee on April 29, 2025, responding to lawmakers' questions. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

According to legal sources on the 23rd, the Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, led by Chief Prosecutor Shin Doouk, dismissed the case against former Deputy Prime Minister Mo on April 13. He had been accused of abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights.

Previously, the conservative group The Korean Patriotic Defense Corps filed a complaint against former Deputy Prime Minister Mo in January last year, alleging that after the December 2024 martial law incident and the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol and former Prime Minister Han Ducksoo, Mo, serving as acting president, had prioritized appointing two of the three Constitutional Court justice nominees—Jeong Gyeseon and Cho Hanchang.

The prosecution determined that appointing Constitutional Court justices is not subject to deliberation by the Cabinet, and concluded that Mo exercised his appointment authority as part of his constitutional duty while serving as acting president.

The prosecution also dismissed a case on March 18 against Woo Jongsu, former head of the National Investigation Headquarters, who was accused of disclosing facts under investigation. In December 2024, at an emergency inquiry by the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee, Woo had responded that the contents of the notebook of former Intelligence Commander Noh Sangwon were "consistent with the facts."

The prosecution stated that Woo’s remark was deemed to be in line with guaranteeing the public’s right to know.

It was also confirmed that on March 26, the prosecution dismissed a case in which former Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, Yeon Unguk, had filed a complaint against former Chief Prosecutor Kim Myungseok for alleged criminal defamation via publication.

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