The Ministry of Justice's Prosecutorial Human Rights Respect Future Committee has added 12 cases for investigation, including the Seongnam FC incident involving President Lee Jae-myung.
On August 14, the committee announced that it had received suggestions from various academic groups, civic organizations, the Korean Bar Association, and the public over a five-week period starting June 16. These suggestions, combined with cases identified by the committee, led to the selection of 12 additional cases for investigation.
The committee explained that it considered the severity of human rights violations, public interest, social impact, the need for prevention of recurrence, and the victims' opinions in its selection process.
Among the cases under investigation are allegations of misuse of corporate cards in Gyeonggi Province, the Baekhyeon-dong development corruption case, and allegations of illegal sponsorship related to Seongnam FC, all linked to President Lee. The case involving Kim Yong, a close aide to President Lee, regarding witness tampering in a trial has also been added.
Other cases include the prohibition of former Vice Minister of Justice Kim Hak-eui from leaving the country, wage arrears involving Daeyu Winia Group, allegations of interference in the Ulsan mayoral election by the Blue House during the Moon Jae-in administration, preferential hiring allegations concerning the former son-in-law of President Moon, and allegations of covering up investigations into unpaid severance at Coupang.
The investigation will also cover allegations of targeted investigations against a former Daegu deputy mayor, improper searches related to a former high-ranking prosecutor turned lawyer, and suspicions of orchestrated investigations by the Blue House, bringing the total number of cases under investigation to 12.
The committee is expected to finalize a second batch of cases for investigation soon and recommend them to the fact-finding team.
Chairman Jeong Joo-young stated, "The committee hopes for a swift and thorough investigation from the perspective of protecting human rights and ensuring the proper exercise of prosecutorial authority. We will correct past wrongs in the exercise of prosecutorial power and establish effective preventive measures and institutional improvements going forward."
The committee was established in June to investigate allegations of human rights violations and abuse of power in the exercise of prosecutorial authority and to recommend measures to prevent recurrence.
The initial batch of cases included the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case, the Daejang-dong case, the Kim Yong case, the Wirye New Town case, the shooting incident involving a public official in the West Sea, the statistics manipulation case, and allegations of false reporting regarding the defamation of Yoon Seok-yeol, totaling seven cases.
With the addition of the 12 newly selected cases, the total number of investigations recommended by the committee has increased to 19.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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