Prosecutors Who Aided Yeonggwang Salt Farm Slave Labor Victims Picked for Human Rights Protection Award

Prosecutors who uncovered additional crimes by a salt farm owner and assisted victims with disability registration and guardian appointments through supplemental investigations into the Yeonggwang salt farm slave labor case have been selected as exemplary figures in human rights protection by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.

The Supreme Prosecutors' Office announced today (July 23) that prosecutors Ryu Jae-hyun (4th Bar Exam), Na Sang-hyun (5th), Kwak Yoon-jae (10th), and Yang Ji-soo (13th) from the Human Rights Protection Department (led by Senior Prosecutor Lee Yu-hyun) and the Women and Children Crime Investigation Department (led by Senior Prosecutor Seo Hye-sun) of the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office were chosen as outstanding cases for human rights protection in the second quarter.

After receiving the case transferred from police involving the habitual confinement, assault, and wage theft of workers at a salt farm in Yeonggwang, South Jeolla Province, prosecutors conducted supplemental investigations by directly interviewing victims and collecting evidence to verify the severity of their disabilities.

They also held case management meetings with eight relevant organizations, including the Crime Victim Support Center, state-appointed legal counsel for victims, police, the Gwangju Regional Employment and Labor Administration, the county office, disability rights advocacy agencies, and developmental disability support centers, to discuss victim assistance measures.

These efforts led to the appointment of adult guardians, emergency living and medical expense support, and the implementation of a fast-track process for intellectual disability registration.

In addition, prosecutors uncovered and indicted the salt farm owner on quasi-fraud charges and an acquaintance of the owner on charges of concealing evidence during the supplementary investigation process.

The Supreme Prosecutors' Office also selected Prosecutor Jung Ye-jin (12th Bar Exam) of the Criminal Department at the Gyeongju Branch of the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office (led by Senior Prosecutor Hong Sung-ki) as an exemplary case. Jung provided financial support, including funeral and living expenses, to the bereaved family of a foreign worker in his 40s who died from group assault, and formulated support measures for a victimized child in a child neglect case.

Prosecutor Jang Yu-jung (11th Bar Exam) of the Andong Branch of the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office was similarly recognized for implementing an educational conditional suspension of indictment system for developmental disability suspects by cooperating with local relevant organizations in an area outside the pilot project scope.

Prosecutors Shin Eui-ho (4th) and Yang Hee-jae (13th), along with Investigator Hwang Jung-hwan from Criminal Division 3 of the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office (led by Senior Prosecutor Hwang Yoon-jae), were also selected after proposing amendments to the Guidelines on Processing Economic Support Work for Crime Victims to expand the application of financial support criteria for sexual offense victims to include child abuse cases as well, according to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.

The Supreme Prosecutors' Office also named exemplary cases for criminal mediation in the second quarter on the same day.

The Seobu Branch of the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office was selected after successfully achieving a settlement in a traffic accident case where all parties were foreign nationals, following thorough explanations and reasonable mediation proposals.

The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office was chosen for an occupational negligence resulting in injury case involving an amusement ride, where it had the business owner participate in the mediation process and pay the criminal settlement amount on behalf of a part-time worker.

The Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office, which facilitated a settlement without financial compensation in an assault case involving military personnel on both sides by incorporating separate filed complaints, and the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office, which successfully mediated an assault resulting in injury case between neighbors in an ongoing land dispute, also made the list of exemplary cases.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.