Prosecutor Eom Hee-jun, indicted for allegedly pressuring investigators to drop a Coupang severance payment case, lashed out at the special counsel team, calling the charges "dirty and disgusting."
At a press conference held Monday at the special counsel's office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, Eom said, "The special counsel fabricated evidence just as the old Agency for National Security Planning used to fabricate cases." He added, "The special counsel ignored legal principles and evidence to carry out Moon Ji-seok's personal revenge."
"I will not stop at simply being acquitted," Eom said. "I will seek the court's judgment on the abuse of indictment authority and fabricated charges, and will take all civil and criminal measures against the special counsel."
Earlier Monday, the Standing Special Counsel team investigating Coupang and Gwanbonggwon indicted Eom on charges of abuse of authority and violation of the Act on Testimony and Appraisal before the National Assembly. Prosecutor Kim Dong-hee was separately indicted on abuse of authority charges.
Eom and Kim served as chief and deputy chief prosecutor at the Bucheon branch of the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office last year. They are accused of pressuring the lead prosecutor to dismiss the Coupang severance non-payment case.
The special counsel determined that they disregarded then-senior prosecutor Moon Ji-seok's opinion that additional investigation or legal review was necessary, thereby violating Moon's legitimate investigative authority.
Eom countered, "Recent first and appellate court rulings in similar cases have resulted in acquittals using the same logic as the Bucheon branch." He asked, "Why is a non-indictment decision wrong and criminal?"
He added, "The lead prosecutor at the time also believed non-indictment was correct. As branch chief, I had no other motive to dismiss this case."
Kim also issued a statement Monday, calling the indictment "a predetermined conclusion that ignores evidence and legal principles." He strongly objected, saying, "They failed to identify the 'motive,' which is the most critical element in abuse of authority cases, yet they are effectively holding us accountable simply for reaching a different conclusion."