A defamation case concerning Lim Eun-jung, head of the Gwangju Regional Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, has been assigned to an anti-corruption investigation unit's Seoul office, according to legal sources Thursday.
Lim has been accused of spreading falsehoods against Kim Ji-yong, the SCIA chief nominee, by a civic group, which filed a criminal complaint against her for violating the Information and Communications Network Act on Oct. 8.
The complaint regards allegations Lim made on social media on Oct. 5 concerning the handling of a 2018 sexual misconduct case involving former prosecutor Jin Dong-gyun, the brother-in-law of independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon.
She claimed that Kim, who headed an inspection division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office at the time, ignored complaints related to Jin's case.
Lim's continued suspicion of Kim
Lim has repeatedly questioned whether Kim is fit to lead the new investigative agency. She continued to criticize him even after her appointment as head of the Gwangju branch, becoming the subject of the agency's first internal inspection.
In filing the complaint, the civic group accused Lim of spreading false allegations without verifying the facts, despite her extensive experience as a prosecutor.
The group argued that Lim had damaged Kim's reputation by portraying him as unfit to lead the agency.
Kim has denied any wrongdoing.
The SCIA is now examining whether the defamation allegations against Lim fall within its investigative jurisdiction.
Under the law governing the agency and its organizational regulations, the Anti-Corruption Investigation Bureau handles corruption cases involving public officials, certain crimes involving officials from prosecutorial and judicial bodies and the police, and other designated offenses.
Defamation, however, is not explicitly included among the serious crimes falling under the agency's jurisdiction.
If investigators determine that the allegations fall outside the SCIA's authority, the case could be transferred to the police or another investigative body.
seungku99@heraldcorp.com