Moon Ji-seok, Director General prosecutor at the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office, who has raised allegations of external pressure in the probe into Coupang's unpaid severance case, appeared on the 26th for the third witness interview by the standing special counsel.
With the special counsel's deadline approaching on Mar. 5, it is said to be reviewing whether to indict those involved, including Um Hee-jun of the Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office (then head of the Bucheon Branch of the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office), based on Moon's statement.
Appearing at the standing special counsel's office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on this day, Moon said, "I will make it crystal clear who is lying in this case." Moon added, "On the allegations of external pressure and perjury, the special counsel will decide sternly based on evidence and the law."
The Coupang unpaid severance case centers on allegations that Coupang Fulfillment Services (CFS), a logistics subsidiary of Coupang, revised work rules to disadvantage workers and withheld severance pay. Although the Central Regional Employment and Labor Office referred the case to prosecutors with a recommendation to indict, the Bucheon Branch of the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office issued a no-suspicion, non-indictment decision in Apr.
Moon has claimed that there was external pressure in the handling of the case while serving as Director General prosecutor at the Bucheon Branch. At the National Assembly audit in Oct. last year, Moon alleged that then Branch Chief Um and then Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Dong-hee (now a prosecutor at the Busan High Prosecutors' Office) pressured prosecutors to close the Coupang case with no suspicion, which led to the launch of the special counsel.
Moon argued that former Branch Chief Um ignored Moon's report outlining the need for additional investigation into Coupang and did not attach evidence secured through a search and seizure of Coupang to the report to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. Moon also claimed that on Feb. 21 last year, former Branch Chief Um held an individual meeting with Prosecutor Shin Ga-hyeon and presented a so-called "no-suspicion guideline."
In a statement the previous day, former Branch Chief Um's side countered, saying, "They are trying to punish a faultless case closure," and, "There was no collusion or obstruction of the investigation."
Along with the external pressure allegations, the special counsel is also looking into claims that Coupang influenced the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) through its government affairs team. The special counsel was said to have again summoned Park, Director General for Policy Planning at the MOEL, as a witness for questioning on this day. In addition, the probe is said to include allegations that the MOEL received advice from eight law firms, including Sejong, to the effect that "Coupang's revision of work rules may violate the Act on the Guarantee of Employees' Retirement Benefits (the Retirement Benefits Act)," but did not share it with local offices.