Former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung, who is suspected of abuse of power in relation to his participation in the 12/3 martial law rebellion and abandonment of immediate appeal, was handed over to trial.
On the 20th, Kwon Chang-young's 2nd Comprehensive Special Prosecutor's Team announced that it had indicted former Prosecutor General Shim and former Supreme Prosecutors' Office Planning and Coordination Department Director Jeong Jeong-gon (Chief Prosecutor) without detention on charges of engaging in important civil war duties and abusing power and interfering with the exercise of rights.
Former Prosecutor General Shim is suspected of considering dispatching prosecutors to the Martial Law Joint Investigation Headquarters under the direction of former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae from December 3, 2024, the day martial law was declared, until the early hours of the next day.
There are also suspicions that he was involved in discussing ways to respond to crimes that fall under the jurisdiction of military courts immediately after the declaration of martial law and in drafting a document on 'jurisdiction for trials under emergency martial law.'
Previously, during the search and seizure process of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, the special prosecutor's team secured documents such as '241203 Martial Law Investigation Team (Candidate)', 'Summary of Procedures', and 'Trial Jurisdiction under Emergency Martial Law'.
It was found that the document stated the martial law declaration and then summarized contents related to trial and investigation jurisdiction.
The special prosecutor's team explained that it was also confirmed that various types of test lists were created or reviewed.
The special prosecutor's team added, "Former Prosecutor General Shim was engaged in an important civil war mission by ordering a review of the formation of a dedicated investigation team within the prosecution regarding violators of the decree, and abused his authority to force prosecutors under the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to do work that was not their duty."
The charge of abuse of power was also included in relation to giving up the appeal immediately after the cancellation of former President Yoon Seok-yeol's arrest.
Former President Yoon, who was indicted on charges including being the leader of a rebellion, requested the court to cancel his arrest, claiming that the prosecution's indictment in March last year was carried out after the expiration of the detention period, and the court accepted this request.
At the time, the investigation team was of the opinion that the court's decision to cancel the detention should be immediately appealed and a higher court's decision was made, but after going through a meeting of Supreme Prosecutors' Office chiefs, former Prosecutor General Shim did not file an immediate appeal and instead ordered the release of former President Yoon.
The special prosecutor's team determined that former Prosecutor General Shim abused the Prosecutor General's authority to direct prosecutors, releasing former President Yoon whose grounds for arrest were not extinguished and preventing the application of valid and current laws, thereby impeding the immediate exercise of the right to appeal by prosecutors at the Special Investigation Headquarters.
Former Prosecutor General Shim's side released a statement this afternoon and refuted, "(The special prosecution team's indictment) was an abuse of power by disguising the list of the prosecution's special investigation headquarters, which was formed to investigate the December 3 rebellion, as a list of dispatches from the martial law command, and the normal consultation process on the court's decision to cancel detention."
He then emphasized, “This indictment by the special prosecutor, ignoring evidence and legal principles, is an act of distorting the law,” and added, “We will clearly and clearly reveal the illegal and unfair indictment of the special prosecutor in court in the future.”
Prosecutor General Jeon is suspected of being involved in drafting documents and discussing jurisdiction for trials under martial law.
He assisted former Prosecutor General Shim as head of the Planning and Coordination Department of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office during the martial law period.
The special prosecutor's team compiled the details of the investigation and requested warrants for former Prosecutor General Shim and former Prosecutor General Jeon last month, but the court dismissed the warrants, saying it was difficult to believe that they were at risk of destroying evidence or running away.
The special prosecutor's team said, "We will do our best to prove the facts of the charges in future trial proceedings."
