President Lee Jae Myung Appoints Ahn Kwon-seop as Special Prosecutor for 'Banknote Bands and Coupang Interference' Allegations

Ahn Kwon-seop, an attorney at Daeryun Law Firm (age 60, 25th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute), has been appointed as the special prosecutor to investigate the 'Geonjin Beopsa banknote bands disappearance allegations' and the 'Coupang severance pay non-payment case interference allegations.'
The presidential office announced on the 17th that President Lee Jae Myung appointed Ahn as special prosecutor from among the candidates recommended by the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea on the afternoon of the 16th.
Ahn graduated from Wansan High School in Jeonju and the Department of Law at Yonsei University. He previously served as head of the Criminal Division 5 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, head of the Public Prosecution Division at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, and deputy chief prosecutor at the Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office.
Under the Standing Special Prosecutor Act, Ahn will have a 20-day preparation period and may investigate both allegations for up to 90 days, including one possible extension.
The 'Geonjin Beopsa banknote bands disappearance allegations' refer to a case in which the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office searched the home of Jeon Sung-bae, known as Geonjin Beopsa, in December last year and seized bundles of cash, including 50 million won in Bank of Korea (BOK) banknotes. During the investigation, the bands and stickers were lost, making it impossible to trace the source of the money. Minister of Justice Jung Sung-ho ordered the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to conduct an inspection and investigation, but prosecutors concluded there was no external interference.
The 'Coupang severance pay non-payment case interference allegations' concern the Bucheon Branch of Incheon District Prosecutors Office, which in April decided not to indict Coupang Fulfillment Services (CFS) in a case referred by the Bucheon Branch of the Jungbu Regional Employment and Labor Office with a recommendation for indictment regarding unpaid severance pay at the Coupang logistics subsidiary.
Moon Jiseok, the prosecutor in charge of the case, testified at last month's National Assembly Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee audit that his superiors, then branch chief Eom Hee-jun and then deputy chief Kim Dong-hee, pressured him to issue a non-prosecution decision. Minister Jung decided on an independent special prosecutor investigation on the 24th of last month, citing the need for a third-party institution to uncover the truth.
After deliberation by the Special Prosecutor Candidate Recommendation Committee, the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea recommended both Ahn and Park Kyung-choon, an attorney at Seopyeong Law Firm (age 59, 21st class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute), as candidates on the 14th.
[email protected] Kim Dong-gyu Reporter