The bereaved family of the "West Sea public official shooting case" said it plans to file a complaint with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials on the 7th, accusing Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Chief Prosecutor Park Cheol-woo of abuse of authority.
Attorney Kim Ki-yoon, representing the bereaved family, said on the 5th that the reason for filing a complaint with the CIO against the prime minister was that he publicly called the prosecution's indictment over the West Sea public official shooting case a "fabricated indictment" and, with remarks implying that giving up an appeal was only natural, exerted improper political pressure on the prosecution's appeal.
Regarding Chief Prosecutor Park, the attorney said, "He ordered a reexamination of the appeal opinions presented by the lead prosecutor and line prosecutors, and gave up appealing the key charges directly tied to state responsibility, including abuse of authority and concealment," adding, "We filed a complaint for abuse of authority to determine whether a selective, strategic 'half appeal' was carried out."
On the same day, the bereaved family also plans to file a petition with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) against Minister of Justice Jung Sung-ho. The family said, "We personally filed complaints to demand accountability for the state's failure to take any rescue measures while the deceased was killed by North Korean soldiers and to demand a full fact-finding," adding, "Calling this a 'political case' and a 'political retaliation investigation' distorted and stigmatized the victim's death and the family's raising of issues as politically motivated, infringing on their human rights and honor."
Earlier, the first trial court acquitted all five people who were brought to trial over allegations of covering up the West Sea public official shooting. On the 2nd, the last day of the appeal deadline, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office appealed charges including defamation against former Office of National Security Director Suh Hoon and former Korea Coast Guard Commissioner General Kim Hong-hee.
However, it did not appeal charges including obstruction of the lawful exercise of rights by abuse of authority against Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Park Ji-won and former Minister of National Defense Suh Wook, finalizing their acquittals.