Prosecutors plan to form an independent team to investigate and eliminate sexual harassment practices within their organization as alleged by Seo Ji-hyeon, a prosecutor at the Tongyang Branch of the Changwon District Prosecutors’ Office. But observers are also calling for establishment of an external investigation committee, with the Ministry of Justice’s legal and prosecutorial reform committee under chairman Han In-seop noting “questions over whether an independent probe by prosecutors alone will enable a fair investigation” and recommending that a committee of outside experts be formed to oversee the investigation and development of response measures and conduct an investigation for all female prosecutors.
The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office (SPO) announced on Jan. 31 that it was launching a “sexual harassment investigation and restitution team” to investigate all cases of sexual harassment within the prosecutors’ organization, including the incidents alleged by Seo.
The chief prosecutor of the Seoul Dongbu District Prosecutors’ Office, Cho Hee-jin, a 56-year-old female graduate from the 19th class at the Judicial Research and Training Institute (JRTI), was named to head the investigation team. As deputy team head, a senior female prosecutor with experience in the women’s policy department is to be appointed.
In press interviews, Cho has said the team will include around three to four prosecutors and ten members total, consisting chiefly of prosecutors who are recognized specialists in the area of sexual harassment and individuals with experience in the inspection field. The team is to be set up within Seoul Dongbu District Prosecutors’ Office and will not have a time limit on its activities.
“Once a thorough investigation has been conducted, we plan to hold those responsible duly to account,” a senior SPO official said.
“We see no reason to limit the investigation scope ahead of time due to the statute of limitations or other factors,” the official added.
The team also plans to conduct investigations of former prosecutors implicated in Seo’s allegations, including former senior prosecutor Ahn Tae-geun and Liberty Korea Party lawmaker Choi Gyo-il. An SPO source said there would be “no major issue with investigating” individuals who are not currently prosecutors.
With the Justice Ministry and SPO reform committee repeatedly putting a stop to developments, involvement by “outsiders” became unavoidable. The SPO’s approach of forgoing a committee of outside figures in favor of an investigation team led by current prosecution officials with some outside figures participating has been criticized by observers as too mild.
By Yeo Hyeon-ho, senior staff writer
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