Choco Pie and Custard

The prosecution has abandoned its appeal to the Supreme Court in the 'Choco Pie theft case,' where the defendant was acquitted in the appellate trial.

The Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office stated on the 2nd, "After reviewing the appellate court's ruling, we have decided to respect the court's decision."

They added, "We will continue to listen to the voice of the people and remain dedicated to our core duties."

With the prosecution's decision to forgo an appeal, the defendant, identified as Mr. A (41), has been definitively found not guilty.

The prosecution's decision is believed to have been influenced by political criticism regarding the abuse of prosecutorial power and the public's critical scrutiny.

Rep. Seo Young-kyo of the Democratic Party of Korea stated on the 27th of last month, following the appellate court's acquittal, "The prosecution cannot escape responsibility for bringing an unreasonable prosecution." She urged, "The appeal must be dropped so that the defendant can clear his name of the theft charge and avoid the crisis of being fired."

Mr. Park Jeong-kyo, the legal representative for Mr. A, also stated immediately after the acquittal, "Even if the case were to proceed to the Supreme Court, the outcome would not change." He requested that the prosecution refrain from a purely mechanical appeal.

The prosecution had initially filed a summary indictment against Mr. A for theft, seeking a 500,000 won fine. However, during the final hearing of the appellate trial on October 30th, the prosecution accepted the opinion of the Citizens' Jury and requested a suspended sentence for the defendant.

Mr. A had stood trial for taking one Choco Pie (valued at 450 won) and one custard pastry (valued at 600 won) from the company office refrigerator on January 18th of last year. However, with the appellate court's acquittal and the prosecution's decision to drop the appeal, he has been cleared of the charges that had been hanging over him for nearly two years.

Yonhap News