Special Prosecutor Charges Former Prosecutor General Sim Woo-jung with Insurrection

The second special prosecutor team, led by Kwon Chang-young, has indicted former Prosecutor General Sim Woo-jung and former Chief of the Planning and Coordination Bureau Jeon Mu-gon on charges of insurrection without detention.

On August 20, the special prosecutor's office announced, "We have indicted former Prosecutor General Sim and former Deputy Chief Jeon for engaging in important duties related to insurrection and for obstructing the exercise of rights by abuse of authority."

Sim is accused of organizing procedures to dispatch prosecutors to the martial law command's joint investigation unit following the declaration of a state of emergency on December 3, and of compiling a list of prosecutors for that purpose. He is also charged with directing the review of jurisdiction for investigations and trials of martial law violators and instructing the formation of a dedicated investigation team within the prosecution for these cases.

Additionally, he faces allegations related to directing the abandonment of an immediate appeal after the release of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. The special prosecutor's office explained, "Sim facilitated the release of former President Yoon, whose grounds for detention had not been eliminated, thereby obstructing the special investigation team's right to appeal and causing them to act without obligation."

Jeon is accused of conspiring with Sim to review the jurisdiction and procedures for investigations and trials of martial law violators and of preparing and reporting documents related to 'jurisdiction under martial law.'

The special prosecutor's office stated, "Through the execution of a search and seizure at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, we confirmed the existence of documents such as '241203 Martial Law Investigation Team,' 'Procedure Organization,' and 'Jurisdiction under Martial Law,' and verified that various lists of prosecutors were prepared or reviewed."

Previously, the special prosecutor's office requested arrest warrants for Sim and Jeon on July 14, but the court dismissed the request on July 16, stating, "There is no concern for evidence destruction or flight."