Coupang–Gwanbong Kwon permanent special prosecutor fails to complete 70% of cases... announces investigation results

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[The Financial News] The Permanent Special Prosecutor Team for Gwanbong Kwon, led by Special Prosecutor Ahn Gwon-seob and investigating Coupang-related cases, has handed over cases to the prosecution without completing investigations into five of the seven allegations on its docket. The unresolved allegations concern: the alleged destruction of Gwanbong Kwon strap bands; the alleged intentional omission of search-and-seizure results from an official report; the alleged leak of investigative information, including search-and-seizure plans; and the alleged collusion between the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) and Coupang. Allegations that Prosecutor Eom Hee-jun of the Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office committed perjury before the National Assembly were also transferred to prosecutors, with the team reserving judgment on some aspects. The special prosecutor's team announced these results in a press release on the 5th.
According to the permanent special prosecutor team, Ahn Gwon-seob completed investigations into two allegations: the case in which daily workers at Coupang Fulfillment Services (CFS) allegedly were not paid their severance, and the allegation that Prosecutor Eom bypassed Chief Prosecutor Moon Ji-seok. Regarding Prosecutor Eom's alleged perjury before the National Assembly, the team found criminal suspicion only in two points: that he testified there was no instruction to the lead prosecutor to drop the case despite having ordered a non-indictment, and that he testified Chief Prosecutor Moon Ji-seok had agreed with his instruction not to indict.
In connection with these findings, the special prosecutor's team indicted two former and current CEOs of CFS without detention on March 3 on charges of violating the Act on the Guarantee of Workers' Retirement Benefits. On March 27, they also indicted Prosecutor Eom without detention on charges of abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights, as well as violating the National Assembly testimony law, and indicted Prosecutor Kim Dong-hee of the Busan High Prosecutors' Office without detention on charges of abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights.
Current CFS CEO Jeong Jong-chul and former CEO Eom Sung-hwan are accused of failing to pay about 1.249 billion won in severance to 40 daily workers between November 5, 2022, and April 7, 2024. During this period, they allegedly created a more unfavorable environment for workers by revising the company's severance pay rules from excluding only periods when daily workers with at least one year of service worked fewer than 15 hours per week, to paying severance only if they had worked for at least one year and at least 15 hours per week.
Separately, Prosecutor Eom is accused of obstructing Chief Prosecutor Moon Ji-seok's authority to direct and supervise his subordinates. In April last year, while serving as head of the Bucheon Branch of the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, he allegedly told the lead prosecutor handling the "CFS daily workers' unpaid severance" case, together with Prosecutor Kim (then deputy chief prosecutor at the Bucheon Branch), "Do not inform Chief Prosecutor Moon of the fact that a report is being made to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea." However, the permanent special prosecutor team did not consider Eom's instruction to the lead prosecutor to dispose of the case as non-indictment to constitute the crime of abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights.
The permanent special prosecutor team was launched on December 6 last year. It used the full 60-day investigation period guaranteed under the Special Prosecutor Act and then extended the probe once, conducting investigations for a total of 90 days.
An official from the special prosecutor's team stated, "Under Article 10, Paragraph 5 of the Special Prosecutor Act, cases in which the investigation has not been completed or a decision on whether to indict has not been made will be handed over to the chief prosecutor of the competent district prosecutors' office."
kyu0705@fnnews.com Kim Dong-kyu Reporter