The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's investigation review committee ordered a reinvestigation in connection with the case in which advisor Jang Hyeong-jin Young Poong(000670) was accused of violating the Environmental Crime Control Act and the Soil Environment Conservation Act.
According to legal sources on the 12th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's investigation review committee made this decision the previous day. Recognizing the need for focused investigation, it also decided to transfer the case to the metropolitan investigation unit.
Earlier, the Seokpo Smelter Bonghwa County Residents' Countermeasure Committee (the committee) filed a complaint asserting that there have been suspicions of heavy metal pollution since the Seokpo Smelter was established in 1970, and that advisor Jang, who served as CEO and chair of Young Poong, should be held responsible.
The Gangnam Police Station in Seoul, which received the case, dismissed it, citing a lack of evidence that advisor Jang exercised de facto control after resigning as CEO and the expiration of the statute of limitations on the alleged offenses during his tenure.
In response, the committee applied for an investigation review, and the review resulted in a decision to reinvestigate. The committee said, "It effectively overturns the non-referral dismissal made without a single summons for questioning of the suspect, Jang Hyeong-jin, and appears to be the result of accepting the complainant's challenge that the investigation was insufficient."