Police have begun a formal investigation into allegations that the inquiry into false credentials for the daughter of independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon was covered up during his tenure as Minister of Justice.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Special Investigation Unit has been assigned to the case involving allegations of abuse of power and dereliction of duty against Han. They plan to conduct an investigation of the complainants on the morning of the 27th.
Previously, civic groups, including the People's Economy Research Institute and Seoul's Voice, filed complaints against Han and prosecutors suspected of being involved in the alleged cover-up.
The core of the allegations regarding Han's daughter involves claims that she commissioned someone to ghostwrite a thesis and published a plagiarized e-book for admission to a prestigious university in the United States.
The Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police received related complaints in May 2022 and initiated an investigation. However, on December 28 of the following year, they decided not to pursue charges on all 11 allegations related to Han's family.
The complainants argue that the investigation at that time was not conducted rigorously.
The police had sought international judicial cooperation from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in November 2022 to secure overseas evidence related to copyright violations, but this request was blocked at the prosecutorial level. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office reportedly did not forward the request to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office or the Ministry of Justice, citing insufficient evidence and decreased likelihood of compliance from the U.S.
Subsequently, the police concluded their investigation without making additional requests for international cooperation or applying for search warrants, which the civic groups claim resulted in a lack of thorough verification regarding community service hours, award circumstances, and the ghostwriting allegations.
There remains a possibility for a re-investigation. Kim Jong-cheol, acting chief of the National Police Agency, stated during a National Assembly audit on the 12th that he would not rule out the possibility of a comprehensive re-investigation if new facts emerge.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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