Special prosecutor Ann Goweon-seob is seen in front of his office in Yeouido, Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap)
Special prosecutor Ann Goweon-seob is seen in front of his office in Yeouido, Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap)

President Lee Jae Myung has appointed Ann Goweon-seob as special prosecutor to launch a 90-day investigation into alleged evidence tampering and abuse of power by prosecutors in two separate cases, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a note to reporters Monday.

Ann, a lawyer at the law firm SJKP, is the first special prosecutor appointed following a Justice Ministry decision to initiate a special prosecutor-led probe, in the latest of the Lee administration's push to check the power of the prosecution.

Lee’s appointment of Ann was made in accordance with the Independent Prosecutor Appointment Act, under which a president selects a special prosecutor from candidates recommended after either the National Assembly or the Justice Ministry determines that a case should be subject to a special prosecutor probe. The law was introduced in 2014 to handle cases in place of the prosecution for fears of conflict of interest.

Following up to three weeks of preparation, the special prosecutor-led probe will target prosecutors accused of tampering with evidence related to stacks of cash found at the residence of shaman Jeon Seong-bae. Jeon, who was reportedly close to former first lady Kim Keon Hee, is a key suspect in corruption cases linked to Kim.

Of the 165 million won ($113,000) in cash found at Jeon’s hideout in December, about 50 million won was wrapped in currency straps issued by the Bank of Korea. Prosecutors believed the straps could help trace the origin of the money. However, the straps were reported as "lost" during evidence processing.

The case was handed over to the special counsel, sponsored by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, following President Lee’s inauguration. The government has since called for a renewed investigation into alleged evidence tampering.

Ann will also lead a separate investigation into senior prosecutor Um Hee-jun, who is accused of coercing a subordinate to not indict a senior official of Coupang Fulfillment Service. The official allegedly failed to provide severance pay to workers in violation of the Act on the Guarantee of Employees’ Retirement Benefits.

Um was one of the prosecutors who led the probe into a high-profile Daejang-dong land corruption scandal in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea has accused Um of fabricating evidence to link President Lee to the scandal-ridden land development. Lee was the mayor of Seongnam at the time of the development.


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