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Photo courtesy of Yonhap News |
[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] SEOUL, Oct. 15 — A sitting senior prosecutor testified before the National Assembly that the prosecution leadership omitted critical evidence in deciding not to indict Coupang in a case involving unpaid severance for temporary warehouse workers.
At a parliamentary audit session of the Ministry of Employment and Labor held by the National Assembly’s Climate, Energy, Environment, and Labor Committee on Tuesday, Senior Prosecutor Moon Ji-seok, who led the investigation, appeared as a witness and made the disclosure publicly.
Earlier this year, the Bucheon Branch of the Central Regional Employment and Labor Office had referred Coupang Fulfillment Services (CFS), a logistics subsidiary of Coupang, to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment in January over alleged unpaid severance benefits. However, in April, prosecutors decided not to indict the company, citing insufficient evidence.
The decision sparked allegations of preferential treatment for Coupang. Last month, media reports revealed that Rep. Kim Joo-young of the Democratic Party had obtained a petition submitted to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office by a senior prosecutor. The petition alleged that Bucheon District Chief Prosecutor Um Hee-jun and Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Dong-hee pressured subordinates to clear Coupang of charges. At the time, the reporting did not disclose Moon’s identity.
During the hearing, when asked by Rep. Kim whether he had agreed with the decision not to indict Coupang, Moon replied, “I did not agree.”
In response to a follow-up question on whether Chief Prosecutor Um had indeed led the dismissal by omitting key evidence, Moon said, “Yes. A non-indictment guideline was communicated, and as a result, the crucial search and seizure findings were excluded from the report submitted to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, leading to the final non-indictment.”
Moon further testified that both he and the previous lead prosecutor had determined Coupang’s changes to its employment rules were illegal and therefore warranted indictment. They had reported this position to Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Dong-hee, who allegedly responded,
“It’s clearly a case for non-indictment. Other offices are all handling it the same way. Don’t waste your energy.”
Moon also testified that Chief Prosecutor Um had personally summoned the newly appointed lead prosecutor in February to deliver “non-indictment guidelines” for the Coupang case — an unusual move, he said, since Um had not even reviewed the case records at that time.
“It is highly irregular for a district chief to instruct a line prosecutor directly on a case he hasn’t reviewed,” Moon said.
The testimony is expected to intensify scrutiny over prosecutorial conduct and internal decision-making related to high-profile corporate investigations.
Alphabiz Reporter Paul Lee(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
