[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The Ministry of Justice has requested an investigation from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office regarding the allegations of illegal surveillance of the judiciary by Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol.
On the 26th, the Ministry of Justice stated, "Following the inspection of Prosecutor General Yoon, we have requested an investigation by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office on charges of abuse of authority under Article 19 of the Ministry of Justice Inspection Regulations concerning the illegal surveillance of judges."
Regarding the reason for the investigation request, it explained, "Documents on illegal surveillance of judges were created and distributed under the direction of the Prosecutor General, containing sensitive personal information that could be misused to influence trials."
Specifically, the documents included remarks such as 'Former administrative office policy advisor, more influenced by public opinion or surrounding atmosphere than having a clear stance,' 'List of judges who caused controversies in 2016 by the administrative office,' 'Member of Uri Beop Yeon-guhoe (Our Law Research Association),' and 'Analysis of major rulings.'
The Ministry of Justice explained, "We confirmed cases suspected of misuse, such as judges who made rulings unfavorable to the prosecution being attacked simply because they were members of Uri Beop Yeon-guhoe, and judged this to be a very serious crime, leading to the request for investigation."
The Supreme Prosecutors' Office Investigation Information Policy Division also pointed this out. The Ministry of Justice stated, "The Investigation Information Policy Division of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office is only a place for collecting investigation information and is not an organization that gathers and distributes judges' personal information and disposition data to prosecutors," adding, "Collecting, analyzing, and managing judges' personal information and disposition data without legal authority itself constitutes criminal surveillance." It further stated, "The methods of surveillance include media searches, inquiries to prosecutors or others, so all contents of the surveillance documents are judged to be the result of serious illegal acts."
Meanwhile, Minister Choo has scheduled a disciplinary review committee meeting for Prosecutor General Yoon on the 2nd of next month under the Prosecutor Disciplinary Act and has notified Yoon and his legal representatives to appear. This is eight days after the disciplinary request and suspension order against Yoon on the 24th. Yoon has not yet decided whether to attend the disciplinary committee. Lawyers Lee Wankyu and Lee Seokwoong, representing Yoon in the lawsuit, will attend the disciplinary committee as special attorneys.
Prosecutor General Yoon also filed an administrative lawsuit, claiming that "the suspension order is unjust." On the same day, he filed a lawsuit at the Seoul Administrative Court against Minister Choo, requesting the cancellation of the suspension order. In the complaint, Yoon stated, "The suspension order corresponds to a severe disciplinary action equivalent to dismissal, and the continuity of duty execution is clearly inappropriate."
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