Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Asks Police to Investigate Labor Inspector over 'Suspected Forgery of Statement Declining Punishment'

Suspected of forging victim's statement of no wish for punishment ahead of parental leave
Falsified report and referred case with recommendation of "lack of grounds to prosecute"

The Prosecution Office has asked police to investigate a labor inspector suspected of forging a victim's statement that they did not wish to see the offender punished while handling an unpaid-wage case.

The Public Criminal Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, headed by Chief Prosecutor Kim Hyungwon, said on October 28 that it had identified indications of job-related crimes by a labor inspector, identified only as A, who had worked at the Gangnam District Office of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office, and had asked the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to investigate and notified it of the suspected offenses.

A replacement signboard is mounted at the main gate of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jinhyung.

According to the Prosecution Office, while investigating an unpaid-wage case, A had obtained in advance from the victim a draft statement expressing no wish to see the offender punished, with the date left blank. The document was obtained on the condition that it would be used if the victim's losses were made good. However, A is believed to have entered a date on the document without authorization to clear a backlog of unresolved cases ahead of taking parental leave.

The investigation also found that A falsified documents, including an investigative findings report stating that the victim did not want the offender punished, and referred the case with the recommendation that it be closed for lack of grounds to prosecute. The Prosecution Office discovered these circumstances while reviewing the case, which had been referred for a violation of the Labor Standards Act. It determined that A's actions obstructed the performance of official duties related to a prosecutor's decision on whether to indict.

The Prosecution Office asked police to investigate under Article 245-9 of the revised Criminal Procedure Act. The article stipulates that if, while reviewing a referred case, a prosecutor has reasonable grounds to suspect another crime, the prosecutor may ask police or another investigative agency to investigate. It also requires prosecutors to notify the agency with jurisdiction if they discover suspected job-related crimes committed by judicial police officers.

An official from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said, "We will continue to work to protect victims and cooperate with and guide special judicial police officers in accordance with the revised Criminal Procedure Act, helping the new criminal justice system take root."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.