Shame on prosecution

Law enforcement agency mired in bribery, sex scandals

By Kim Rahn

“Sickening” was citizens’ reaction to the recent corruption cases involving prosecutors, especially the bribing of a senior prosecutor and a sex scandal between a trainee prosecutor and a female suspect.

In addition to the longstanding criticism over the prosecution’s alleged politically-biased probe, citizens now say they no longer trust prosecutors who have forgotten they are supposed to abide by the tenets of law.

The public uproar emerged after it was found the trainee prosecutor at the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office, 30-year-old Jeon, allegedly performed sexual acts with a suspect in his office earlier this month while questioning her over theft allegations and had sex at a motel three days later.

The case was disclosed three days after senior prosecutor Kim Kwang-joon was arrested for receiving 900 million won in kickbacks from a swindler and a business group.

“How come the nation’s top investigative authority can be ruined like this? The prosecution doesn’t know how to reflect on wrongdoings. It’s pathetic,” a blogger called projak said.

Another Internet user minerva said, “Jeon has disgraced the honor of the prosecution. This clearly shows how corrupt the prosecution is. Not only the district office chief but also the prosecutor general should resign. This case has disturbed the fundamental principle of a supposed law-governed state and made me feel ashamed of living in this society.”

A 33-year-old female office worker surnamed Kim said, “Jeon had sex with a married woman. It’s adultery if they agreed to it and it’s sexual assault if he forcibly did it. Prosecutors should faithfully abide by laws and principles but what can we expect from them?”

The story has even triggered the propagation of conspiracy theories about the case. In one such instance, blogger geurimja said, “I guess prosecutor Kim had connections with higher-ranking officials, so the prosecution is making the Jeon case a big issue to cover up the Kim case. We need to keep watching how the investigation into Kim is going.”

Bribery or sexual assault?

Many citizens thought the prosecution’s decision to bring a bribery charge against Jeon, instead of a sex offense charge, was improper and could give him a lenient punishment.

The prosecution said they regard the sexual intercourse as a bribe in return for favors in the investigation. There has been no precedent in Korea that sex is recognized as bribe.

However, the woman’s lawyer claimed she is not a “kickback provider” and this is a case of sexual assault through the abuse of authority, saying Jeon told her that she could face three years in jail on the theft charge.

But the prosecution said it can’t apply a sex offense charge because Jeon and the woman signed an agreement not to disclose the incident, and such a charge is only applied when the victim files a complaint.

Office worker Kim said, “Jeon took advantage of the weak by abusing his authority. If I was in her shoes, if a prosecutor said I could avoid a jail term and stay with my children if I have sex with him, I may have no choice but to accept his offer.”

Another office worker, a 36-year-old surnamed Park said, “It’s a sex offense through threats. A bribery charge is an absurd decision, a worldwide joke. Although they are investigating a fellow prosecutor, they should not judge leniently or they will lose their honor.”