"Deliberate Delay in Handling Kim Keon Hee Luxury Bag Case... Decision on Lee Jae-myung Helicopter Transfer as Ethics Violation Was Improper"

[The Financial News] The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission Normalization Task Force concluded that past decisions in cases including the "Kim Keon Hee luxury bag case," the "Lee Jae-myung helicopter transfer privilege controversy," and the "Heelim Ryu conflict-of-interest case at the former Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC)" were wrong. It determined that former vice chair and secretary-general Jeong Seung-yun exerted pressure on those cases and reached conclusions that differed from the commission's internal views. The ACRC plans to seek criminal investigations, impose fines, and pursue institutional reforms over those decisions.
■ "Unofficial meeting at the presidential residence on the final day of the luxury bag case deadline"
Jung Il-yeon announced the results of the ACRC Normalization Task Force at Government Complex Seoul on the 8th. The task force operated for a total of 54 days, from March 16 to that day.
On the Kim Keon Hee luxury bag case, the task force said there was a possible violation of the Anti-Graft Act by former vice chair Jeong Seung-yun. It found that he held an unofficial meeting with former President Yoon Suk Yeol during the handling of the luxury bag receipt case and deliberately delayed the process. According to the task force, Jeong met Yoon at the Presidential Residence of South Korea on March 18, 2024, the 60th day, which is the statutory deadline for handling such cases under the Anti-Graft Act. The ACRC plans to request additional investigation by the National Office of Investigation.
Jung Il-yeon explained, "Simply meeting with a party to the case while investigating the luxury bag incident is itself an improper contact," adding, "We are requesting an investigation because we suspect there may have been other solicitations during that contact."
The task force also concluded that Jeong was involved in the death of a former anti-corruption bureau chief during the handling of the luxury bag case. It said his actions, including restricting the deceased's speaking rights at meetings, excluding him from key case work, and subjecting him to indiscriminate criticism, could amount to workplace bullying. The commission will notify the relevant current agency of the misconduct and issue an apology to the deceased and his bereaved family on behalf of the ACRC.
Jung added, "There were instances in which the deceased was openly criticized on suspicion of having passed internal information to the media or the National Assembly," and "records show statements by employees and remarks made directly by the secretary-general at an expanded executive meeting."
■ "Lee Jae-myung helicopter transfer was wrongly judged an ethics violation... hospital testimony changed"
The task force also took the opposite view on the 2024 controversy over then-DPK leader Lee Jae-myung's helicopter transfer. Unlike the original department's decision to send a proposal for institutional reform, it said Jeong Seung-yun led the ethics violation ruling by including matters outside the agenda of the plenary committee.
Jung said, "Considering additional testimony that the transfer between Seoul National University Hospital and Pusan National University Hospital, confirmed during the task force's investigation, was carried out within the scope of authority, we judged that treating the case as an ethics violation at the time was inappropriate."
The investigation also reflected testimony from hospital officials stating that the helicopter transfer between Seoul National University Hospital and Pusan National University Hospital was based on an "official inter-hospital transfer agreement," and that a doctor at Pusan National University Hospital had the authority to request helicopter transport, which differed from earlier statements.
He added, "During the task force's investigation, the doctors' testimony from the hospitals changed significantly. We announced our findings based on those changed statements," and "Because the testimony changed during the process, it is difficult for us to say whether the current or the earlier testimony is correct. But after re-examining the case objectively, we found these problems and wanted to point them out."
■ "Promoting institutional reforms in the ACRC's operations"
In addition, the task force said there were many potential issues in cases involving former KCSC chief Heelim Ryu's alleged violation of the conflict-of-interest prevention law and ACRC Chair Yu Cheol-hwan's alleged interference in a civil complaint. It plans to request an audit from the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) and to file a complaint against former chair Yu with investigative authorities.
Based on the findings of this review of past cases, the task force said it will work to prevent similar incidents from recurring. It will pursue institutional reforms in four areas: meeting operations, case handling, complaint processing, and personnel management.
The plan includes measures to prevent improper instructions from superiors in case handling, clarify detailed standards for such instructions, and form a more representative personnel committee.
Jung said, "This task force was created to comprehensively review the controversial cases from the public's perspective and prepare measures to prevent recurrence," adding, "On behalf of the ACRC, I sincerely apologize to the people involved in these cases and to the public for the pain caused by decisions that did not meet public expectations."
jhyuk@fnnews.com Kim Jun-hyeok Reporter