Prosecutors decline to prosecute Jeon Hyun-hee, Noh Young-min and Lee In-young in the ‘West Sea Civil Servant Shooting’ case

[Financial News] The former prosecution service decided not to prosecute Jeon Hyun-hee, former chair of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, who was accused by the family of the late Daejun Lee in connection with the ‘West Sea Civil Servant Shooting’ case. 
According to legal sources on the 17th, the former Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office’s 1st Public Investigation Division (now the Public and Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul Central Public Prosecution Office, headed by Chief Prosecutor Yoon Su-jeong) decided on the 29th of last month to dismiss the complaint and not prosecute former Chair Jeon, who was accused of invalidating public documents and obstructing the exercise of rights through abuse of authority, among other charges.
A dismissal by an investigative agency is one type of non-referral or non-prosecution disposition made after a complaint or accusation is received, when the agency decides not to proceed with an investigation. Prosecutors also decided not to prosecute other figures accused in connection with the West Sea civil servant shooting case.
Noh Young-min, former presidential chief of staff, and Lee In-young, former minister of unification, who were accused of damaging public electronic records and other offenses, were not prosecuted in July, with a finding of no suspicion due to insufficient evidence.
Kim Hong-hee, former commissioner of the Korea Coast Guard, faced charges of obstructing the performance of official duties and obstructing the exercise of rights through abuse of authority. He was not prosecuted, with a finding of no suspicion due to insufficient evidence. The charge of preparing false official documents against Kim was dismissed on the grounds that prosecutors lacked authority to prosecute.
Earlier, after the late Daejun Lee was killed by North Korean troops in the West Sea in 2020, Lee Rae-jin, a member of his bereaved family, filed a complaint in October 2022 against Jeon Hyun-hee, then chair of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, and Kim Hong-hee, then commissioner of the Korea Coast Guard, on charges including abuse of authority.
Lee also filed a complaint against former chief of staff Noh Young-min and then Minister of Unification Lee In-young, alleging that he suspected they had conspired to delete intelligence from the National Intelligence Service and the Ministry of National Defense at the National Security Council (NSC) meeting held immediately after the shooting. The complaint included charges of damaging public electronic records.
Park Ji-won, former director of the National Intelligence Service, and Seo Hoon, former director of the National Security Office, were also not prosecuted on the 28th of last month. They had been accused of violating the Board of Audit and Inspection Act for failing to comply with the Board’s request for a written inquiry in connection with the West Sea civil servant shooting case.
In September 2022, they did not comply with the Board of Audit and Inspection’s request for an in-person investigation into the West Sea civil servant shooting case.
They reportedly said at the time that they would refuse to appear, citing the fact that prosecutors were conducting a related investigation.
Before that, former President Moon Jae-in, who was accused of giving final approval to the cover-up and downplaying of the West Sea civil servant shooting case, was also not prosecuted in July.
Prosecutors at the time issued a no-suspicion decision for former President Moon, who had been accused of abuse of authority and other offenses, due to insufficient evidence.


[email protected] Yoo Seon-jun Reporter