Ministry of Justice Appoints Legal Counsel for Yoon Seok-yeol's Disciplinary Lawsuit After 4 Months

On the first day of early voting for the April 7 Seoul mayoral by-election, former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, accompanied by his father Yoon Ki-jung, Honorary Professor at Yonsei University, finished voting at the early voting station set up at Namgajwa 1-dong Community Center in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, and then moved on. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The Ministry of Justice, which faced a lawsuit after disciplining former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, has belatedly appointed legal counsel and begun responding.

According to the legal community on the 21st, the Ministry of Justice appointed two lawyers, including Lee Ok-hyung, to handle the lawsuit filed by former Prosecutor General Yoon seeking cancellation of the disciplinary action. This comes four months after Yoon filed the lawsuit in December last year.

The newly appointed lawyer, Lee Ok-hyung, previously represented then-Minister Chu Mi-ae when Yoon opposed the suspension of his duties and the two-month disciplinary action by applying for a suspension of execution. After the court twice ruled in favor of Yoon and granted the suspension of execution, Lee did not proceed with the main lawsuit.

The Ministry of Justice decided to appoint legal counsel now after receiving an order from the Seoul Administrative Court, which is handling the case, to submit their position on the lawsuit and necessary evidence by the 29th.

The Ministry of Justice stated, "We have been internally reviewing the facts of the case and legal issues," emphasizing that they have been steadily responding to the lawsuit.