Yoon Suk Yeol, the former president of South Korea, along with 10 others involved in the prosecution and oversight of the Lime and Optimus cases, has been reported to the Major Crimes Investigation Unit over allegations of inadequate investigations and concealment of prosecutorial misconduct. The allegations regarding the inadequate investigation of the Optimus case had previously been dismissed by the Anti-Corruption Agency.
On the morning of October 23, the civic group Judicial Justice Restoration Citizen Action (JJRCA) filed a complaint against Yoon and the others for abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights.
Regarding the Optimus case, JJRCA raised concerns about the handling of an investigation requested by the Korea Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission in 2018, prior to a major suspension of redemptions. The group claimed that despite allegations regarding the use of investment funds and fraudulent payments, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office dismissed the case in May 2019 without conducting compulsory investigations such as account tracking, asserting that Yoon, who was the chief prosecutor at the time, bore responsibility for the investigation and oversight.
The issue of whether Yoon was informed about the case has also been raised. During a National Assembly audit in 2020, Yoon explained that he was not informed because it was a case decided by a senior prosecutor. However, JJRCA contended that given the amount involved and the duration of the case, it likely fell under the jurisdiction of the deputy chief prosecutor and should have been reported to him.
However, Kim Yoo-cheol, the former head of the Criminal Division 7 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office who handled the case, refuted this in a post on the prosecutors' internal network in 2020, stating that the senior prosecutor's decision was not a violation of regulations and that he had not reported or received instructions from the chief prosecutor or the first deputy chief prosecutor regarding the case.
The allegations of inadequate investigation into the Optimus case had already been examined by the Anti-Corruption Agency. Following JJRCA's complaint, the agency began its investigation and on May 6, 2022, cleared Yoon and five other prosecutors of any wrongdoing.
The Anti-Corruption Agency concluded that failing to establish substantial facts does not automatically constitute negligence of duty. It also stated that the necessity and proportionality of not conducting compulsory investigations, such as account tracking, must be considered, and given the circumstances where the responsible prosecutor directed supplementary investigations, it was difficult to acknowledge the allegations. The agency also found no evidence to support claims of soliciting a cover-up through a lawyer.
In relation to the Lime case, JJRCA argued that the prosecution leadership should investigate whether there was an attempt to downplay or conceal allegations of entertainment expenses involving Kim Bong-hyun, the former chairman of Star Mobility.
The group raised concerns about the failure to apply bribery charges in connection with allegations involving three prosecutors receiving entertainment in July 2019, claiming that Yoon and six others conspired to "deliberately and systematically neglect their investigative duties."
Earlier, on October 6, JJRCA also reported Lee Jong-geun, who was the head of the Criminal Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, alleging that he attempted to cover up the Lime entertainment expenses case.
It remains unclear whether new evidence has been submitted in this latest complaint that differs from the previous Anti-Corruption Agency investigation, or whether the Major Crimes Investigation Unit has commenced an investigation.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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