The special prosecutor's team investigating the insurrection case has withdrawn its appeal regarding the dismissal of charges against former Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae, who was accused of accepting a request from Kim Geon-hee to suppress an investigation. This decision was made to prevent delays in the trial, especially if the dismissal is overturned, which could lead to a retrial on the insurrection charges for which he was found guilty.
On July 29, the special prosecutor's office announced, "We withdrew the appeal on July 27 concerning the dismissal of charges related to the anti-corruption law against defendant Park Sung-jae."
The office explained, "If the appeal against the dismissal is accepted, it could result in a retrial of the insurrection charges, which would delay the proceedings. This decision was made considering the legislative intent of the special prosecutor law, which aims for a swift trial in insurrection cases, and the significance of the dismissed charges within the overall context of the case."
However, they clarified, "This does not imply that we agree with the legal judgment regarding the dismissal of charges. We plan to transfer this part of the case to another agency for a prompt re-filing of charges."
Previously, on June 22, the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 33, led by Judge Lee Jin-kwan, sentenced Park to 25 years in prison and ordered his immediate detention for charges including important duties in insurrection and abuse of power.
However, the court dismissed the charges related to the anti-corruption law, which involved investigating the circumstances surrounding the alleged acceptance of a 'Dior bag' from the prosecution and the formation of a dedicated team.
The court determined that the Telegram messages from Park, which were the basis for the charges, did not demonstrate a concrete connection to the state of emergency, insurrection, or foreign exchange crimes, thus falling outside the scope of the special prosecutor law.
Following the first trial's verdict, the special prosecutor's office appealed the entire ruling but later decided to withdraw the appeal only for the anti-corruption law charges after further review.
The appeal regarding the guilty verdict for important duties in insurrection will proceed as scheduled, while the anti-corruption law charges are expected to be transferred to the police or the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials for further prosecution.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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