Former prosecutor Seo Ji-hyeon./News 1
Former prosecutor Seo Ji-hyun lost on the 21st in a lawsuit for 100 million won in damages filed against former Director Ahn and the state, saying, “I suffered sexual harassment and personnel disadvantages from former Prosecutor General Ahn Tae-geun.” The statute of limitations (3 years) for the sexual harassment committed by former Director Ahn had passed, and it was judged that the personnel disadvantage could not be considered an illegal act.
The 2nd Division of the Supreme Court (Chief Justice Kwon Young-joon) confirmed the original judgment that day, ruling that former Prosecutor Seo lost the damages suit filed by him.
The Supreme Court stated, “There was no error in the original trial’s judgment that affected the judgment by deviating from the limits of free deliberation, misunderstanding legal principles regarding the starting point of the statute of limitations, abuse of rights, etc., contradicting reasons, or omitting judgment.”
Former prosecutor Seo posted an article on the prosecution’s internal network in January 2018, revealing that former director Ahn had sexually harassed her and placed her at a personnel disadvantage. She said that former Director Ahn had sexually harassed her in October 2010 when she was the head of the policy planning department at the Ministry of Justice, and that in 2015, when she was serving as the Director of the Prosecutor’s Office, she had taken an unfavorable personnel action by transferring her from the Yeoju Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office to the Tongyeong Branch of the Changwon District Prosecutors’ Office during a regular personnel transfer. At that time, former Director Ahn had left the prosecution.
Former prosecutor Seo emerged as a symbol of the ‘Me too’ movement within the prosecution due to the revelation of suspicions in this case. Former prosecutor Seo filed a lawsuit for 100 million won in damages against former Director Ahn and the state in November 2018.
However, the first trial court ruled against former prosecutor Seo, saying, “The statute of limitations for damages has passed for sexual harassment, and there is insufficient evidence for personnel disadvantages.” The first trial said, “Even if former Director Ahn was involved in the transfer and personnel transfer of former Prosecutor Seo, it is difficult to view it as an illegal act such as deviation or abuse of discretion.”
Former prosecutor Seo appealed, but the second trial court also did not accept it. The second trial court said, “Former Director Ahn’s personnel intervention has been acknowledged, so there is room for it to be viewed as a violation of the duty of good faith as a public official,” but added, “It is difficult to view it as an independent act of harm in light of the overall approval process and structure of prosecutors’ personnel.” It was believed that the statute of limitations for sexual harassment had already passed. The Supreme Court also ruled that the original trial’s judgment was correct.
Previously, former Director Ahn was indicted on charges of abuse of power for retaliating against sexual harassment to prevent disclosure and was sentenced to two years in prison in the first and second trials, but the original trial was overturned by the Supreme Court on the grounds that he was not guilty. Afterwards, the acquittal was confirmed in October 2020. The sexual harassment charges against former prosecutor Seo were not indicted because the statute of limitations had expired.
2023-12-21 01:25:54
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