Media Company Operator Instructed Junior Reporter to Give False Testimony... Prosecutors File Additional Charges of False Accusation

Supreme Prosecutors' Office Selects Four Exemplary Trial Cases from April
Mokpo Branch Launches Immediate Investigation After Witness Examination
Seoul Central, Incheon, and Gwangju District Prosecutors' Offices Also Recognized

Prosecutors who uncovered that a media company operator, who was on trial for violating the Attorney-at-Law Act, falsely accused the complainants and instructed a junior reporter to commit perjury in an attempt to cover up his charges, have been selected as an exemplary trial case by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.

On the 21st, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office announced that it had selected four cases from trials nationwide in April as exemplary trial cases, recognizing them for actively pursuing trial activities and upholding judicial justice.

Moon Jiyeon (40th class of Judicial Research and Training Institute, Acting Head of the Criminal Division 1 at Mokpo Branch) and Park Byunghoon (11th bar exam) discovered that Mr. A, a media company operator, during his trial for violating the Attorney-at-Law Act, falsely accused three people, including the complainant, and instructed Mr. B, a junior reporter at his own media company, to commit perjury in order to conceal his own charges.

Immediately after questioning Mr. B as a witness, the prosecution launched an investigation. Through interviews with those involved, three rounds of search and seizure, and analysis of communication records, prosecutors confirmed that Mr. A had written a verification statement containing false information, had Mr. B copy it, and then submitted it as evidence in court. Mr. A was indicted without detention on charges of subornation of perjury and false accusation, and Mr. B was indicted without detention on charges of perjury.

The list of exemplary cases also included an instance in which a not-guilty verdict from the first trial was overturned on appeal. Jeong Sujeong (37th class), Hwang Boyoung (40th class), and Choi Junghoon (44th class) of the 4th Trial Division at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office overturned not-guilty judgments in three appellate cases—including violations of the Game Industry Promotion Act and the Labor Standards Act—by submitting legal opinions, requesting investigation cooperation, and conducting witness examinations, ultimately resulting in guilty verdicts.

Additionally, Lee Jonghyuk (39th class) and Jeong Seokyeop (13th bar exam) from the 2nd Trial and Litigation Division at the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office were selected for identifying and indicting two suspects who gave false testimony in drug and joint blackmail trials. Jung Woosung (39th class) and Kim Seyoon (49th class) from the Trial Division at Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office were also recognized for verifying the victim child's testimony in an appellate case involving habitual child abuse, leading to a prison sentence and immediate detention in court.