Former Prosecutor General Indicted on Rebellion Charges

A special prosecutor's office has formally indicted former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung and former deputy prosecutor general Jeon Mu-gon. They face charges including participating in a rebellion and abuse of power.

The indictment alleges that the former officials, following an emergency martial law declaration by former President Yoon Suk-yeol on December 3, 2024, reviewed the dispatch of prosecutors to a joint investigation headquarters. The special prosecutor's office also contends that Shim and Jeon directed the creation of documents concerning jurisdiction over investigations and trials under martial law, viewing this as involvement in the rebellion.

Shim is also accused of instructing the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's special investigation headquarters to forgo an immediate appeal after a court canceled former President Yoon's arrest warrant in March of the previous year.

Previously, a different special prosecutor investigated Shim's alleged involvement in the martial law situation but did not pursue charges. The second special prosecutor, taking over the case, conducted a three-month investigation and subsequently sought arrest warrants for Shim and Jeon, which were denied by the court due to insufficient evidence of the risk of evidence tampering. The special prosecutor's office later re-searched the Supreme Prosecutors' Office for additional evidence.

Separately, the second special prosecutor is also investigating allegations that Shim exerted undue influence and ordered the suppression of an investigation into the stock manipulation allegations concerning Kim Keon-hee, which the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office had dismissed as baseless in October 2024.

Shim's legal team has stated that the second special prosecutor misrepresented the list of prosecutors for the martial law investigation headquarters as being for the dispatch of prosecutors and misrepresented normal consultation processes regarding the court's decision to revoke the arrest warrant as abuse of power. They intend to clarify the special prosecutor's allegedly unlawful and unfair indictment in court.