Jung Sung-ho Slams Prosecutors Over Kim Keon-hee’s 7-Year Prison Sentence, Saying They “Sold Their Souls to Power”

[Financial News] Minister of Justice Jung Sung-ho criticized prosecutors after Kim Keon-hee, who was indicted on so-called bribery-for-favors charges, was sentenced to seven years in prison at first instance.
On the 27th, Jung said on Facebook that “from the Van Cleef necklace and the gold turtle to the ‘Dior bag receipt’ that the political prosecutors of the Yoon Suk Yeol government previously rushed to excuse, every case was found guilty without exception.”
Commenting on the court ruling, he said it was “a stern warning from the judiciary that public office must not become a subject of trade, and a judgment against political prosecutors who, in the face of the same allegations, issued non-indictment decisions while watching the living power.” He added, “Because of a small number of political prosecutors who sold their souls to power and turned a blind eye to wrongdoing, the prosecution now faces what is effectively dismantlement.”

Jung also criticized the group, saying, “These handful of political prosecutors abused prosecutorial power, trampling on the honor and pride of the vast majority of their colleagues who work quietly day and night, and driving public trust in judicial justice down to the ground, making even normal social deliberation over criminal justice reform difficult.”
He continued, “They must reflect on the harm they have caused to society and deeply repent,” adding, “At the same time, they must bear responsibility commensurate with the grave wrongdoing they committed through the ongoing special prosecutor investigation and other probes.”
Jung said, “As major changes to the criminal justice system lie ahead, the prosecution must make even stronger efforts to change and innovate on its own in order to restore public trust.” He added, “The Ministry of Justice will also do its utmost so that it works only for the people and so that the ultimate beneficiary of criminal justice reform will be the public.”
Meanwhile, Criminal Division 21 of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Jo Soon-pyo, sentenced Kim Keon-hee to seven years in prison and ordered her to pay a fine of 64.8 million won the previous day on charges of receiving brokerage fees under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes. The court also ordered the confiscation of a painting by Lee Ufan, one Vacheron Constantin watch, a gold turtle, earrings, a Dior bag and a brooch that were seized during the investigation by the Kim Keon Hee Special Prosecutor Team led by Special Counsel Min Joung-kie. The court said, “This case is the so-called ‘bribery-for-favors’ scheme, in which numerous personnel and business requests were exchanged for expensive valuables by exploiting the status of the president’s spouse.” It added, “The public decision-making process, which should have been fair and transparent, was tied to valuables and used as a means for Kim Keon-hee’s personal gain.”
jyseo@fnnews.com Seo Ji-yoon Reporter