In response to the claim that 'inspection was cautious due to victim protection', "we asked for the truth to be revealed."
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Hwang Jae-ha = Former prosecutor Seo Ji-hyeon, a victim of the case, spoke out about the suspicion that Kim Ji-yong, candidate for the first Serious Crimes Investigation Office (Head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Office), did not investigate even though he was aware of the sexual violence committed by Prosecutor Ahn Tae-geun when he was working as the head of the Supreme Prosecutor's Office's Inspection Division 1.
Former prosecutor Seo, who ignited the 'MeToo movement' by disclosing the facts of the damage in 2018, claimed that, contrary to candidate Ji-yong Kim's claims, the inspection was dismissed because the victims and perpetrators were already known.
Former prosecutor Seo said this on Facebook on the 13th, saying, “I cannot stand by and see the facts being told differently, so I am revealing the minimum facts.”
Former prosecutor Seo publicly claimed on a broadcast in 2018 that he was a victim of sexual harassment by former prosecutor Ahn Tae-geun, who was head of the Ministry of Justice's policy planning division, in 2010 while he was working as a prosecutor, and that he suffered personnel disadvantages for raising the issue.
Candidate Kim Ji-yong, who was the head of the Supreme Prosecutor's Office's Inspection Division 1 in 2018, was recently asked in writing by Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Geon-young why he did not inspect this case, and responded, "I don't remember clearly whether I knew that the perpetrator was Chief Prosecutor Ahn Tae-geun."
In addition, Candidate Kim explained that he only confirmed through rumors around the time that the suspect may be Prosecutor Ahn, and that it is difficult to conduct a formal investigation because neither the victim nor the specific details of his actions have been identified.
Regarding this, former prosecutor Seo said, "After the incident in 2010, I informed my immediate supervisor of the damage. Therefore, who the perpetrator and the victim were were identified from that time," and pointed out that Candidate Kim's claims were different from the facts.
Candidate Ji-yong Kim explained that due to the nature of sexual misconduct cases, victim protection was important, so they were cautious in starting the inspection.
However, former prosecutor Seo Ji-hyun said, "I never once said, 'I don't want this to be made into an incident.' I consistently asked, 'I want an apology' and 'the truth be revealed.'"
Former prosecutor Seo also claimed, “In 2018, my representative team requested the investigation team several times to ‘investigate and inspect the secondary perpetrators who maliciously spread false information to prevent secondary harm’ and ‘to reveal the circumstances in which the incident was covered up.’ However, no action was taken.”
The purpose is that candidate Ji-yong Kim, as the head of the inspection department, did not investigate the secondary harm and the circumstances surrounding the cover-up of the incident.
Former prosecutor Seo also expressed his opposition to candidate Kim by revealing his thoughts surrounding the abolition of the Prosecutor's Office and the establishment of the Public Prosecution Office and the Central Investigation Office.
He said, “The separation of investigation and prosecution and the launch of the Public Prosecution Service’s Central Investigation Office are historic changes that will change the criminal justice system in Korea,” and added, “I sincerely hope that this system will succeed.”
He then criticized candidate Kim, saying, “Looking at the former prosecutor who was recommended as the first head of the Central Investigation Agency, saying, ‘There is no one better,’ I once again feel ashamed of the prosecutorial organization itself.”
He also said, "There is no perfect system or perfect person. However, the inability to be perfect cannot be a reason not to do our best," and emphasized, "While changing the major framework of the criminal justice system for the first time in 78 years, the moment we become complacent about whether this is enough, the reform that started with difficulty may become the starting point for another failure."
