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Special Prosecutor's Assistant Replaced Over Conflict of Interest Concerns | LegalPost

Special Prosecutor's Assistant Replaced Over Conflict of Interest Concerns

Assistant Special Prosecutor Kwon Young-bin has been replaced by Kim Chi-heon due to past legal representation of key figures in the Ssangyong North Korea remittance case.

Published on 04/17/2026, 11:432 min readviews1

Special Prosecutor's Assistant Replaced Over Conflict of Interest Concerns

Key parties → Kwon Young-bin — Assistant Special Prosecutor → Kim Chi-heon — Replacement Assistant Special Prosecutor → Lee Hwa-young — Former Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor for Peace → Bang Yong-cheol — Former Ssangyong Vice Chairman → Prior representation and replacement → ① 2012–2014: Kwon represented Lee in a political funds case → ② Lee introduced Kwon to Bang → ③ 2022–2023: Kwon represented Bang in a professional malpractice case → ④ Allegations raised that Kwon may have joined testimony consultations → ⑤ Office said Kwon was absent from the room and had been dismissed by early 2023 → ⑥ Special Prosecutor's team replaced Kwon with Kim as a proactive fairness measure → Was the replacement a safeguard against possible conflict of interest concerns? → The office replaced Kwon with Kim to remove concerns about fairness in the future investigation → Check the prior representation → Kw…

Special Prosecutor's Office Changes Lead Investigator

The Special Prosecutor's team, led by Kwon Chang-young, has officially replaced Kwon Young-bin, the assistant special prosecutor in charge of investigating allegations of witness tampering in the Ssangyong North Korea remittance case, with Kim Chi-heon.

Why the Change Occurred: Conflict of Interest

The decision comes after it was revealed that Kwon Young-bin had previously served as a legal representative for two key figures in this case:

Lee Hwa-young: Former Vice Governor for Peace of Gyeonggi Province.
Bang Yong-cheol: Former Vice Chairman of Ssangyong.

Legal Insight: Conflict of InterestIn legal proceedings, a 'conflict of interest' occurs when a lawyer or prosecutor has a prior relationship with a party that could compromise their objectivity or impartiality. To ensure a fair trial and investigation, such individuals are typically removed from the case.

Details of Past Representation

It was identified that Kwon Young-bin defended Lee Hwa-young in a political funds act violation case between 2012 and 2014. Subsequently, through Lee's introduction, Kwon also defended Bang Yong-cheol in a professional malpractice case between 2022 and 2023.

There were allegations that Kwon may have been involved in consultations between Bang and Lee regarding their testimonies. However, the Special Prosecutor's team clarified that:

Consultations between Bang and Lee occurred while Kwon was absent from the room.
Kwon was dismissed from Bang's legal representation in early 2023.

Despite these clarifications, the office stated that the replacement is a proactive measure to eliminate any concerns regarding the fairness of the future investigation process.

This article was rewritten and translated by AI from the original source. Original source: hani.co.kr

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