[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The Korean Bar Association (KBA) recently called for Lee Young-jin (61, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 22), a Constitutional Court Justice, who has been embroiled in allegations of 'golf entertainment,' to practice self-restraint and urged a thorough investigation into the incident.
On the 16th, the KBA issued a statement expressing "deep regret over the serious damage to public trust in the judiciary, including the Constitutional Court, and legal professionals, and urged Justice Lee to deeply reflect on his actions."
It added, "We also call for a thorough and strict investigation by the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Division (HOCI) and the establishment of internal ethical regulations and legislative measures to ensure effective sanctions such as disciplinary actions against Constitutional Court Justices."
The KBA emphasized, "The Constitutional Court is the highest judicial institution responsible for constitutional adjudication in the Republic of Korea, and Constitutional Court Justices bear the heavy responsibility of strictly maintaining the integrity and fairness of the judiciary as a whole, including constitutional rulings."
It further pointed out, "If it becomes tacitly accepted that Constitutional Court Justices receive hospitality and entertainment from acquaintances, lawyers, or parties involved in cases, regardless of whether there is a quid pro quo, the implicit influence inherent in such inappropriate exchanges alone would inevitably lead the public to doubt the fairness of the judiciary."
Justice Lee was accused last October of receiving golf and meal entertainment from a businessman along with a hometown junior and a former judge-turned-lawyer. The businessman, who was undergoing a divorce lawsuit, claimed that Justice Lee said at a gathering that he knew the chief judge of the family court and would help with the lawsuit.
Justice Lee admitted, "I regret playing inappropriate golf with someone I met for the first time," but explained, "When the businessman mentioned the divorce lawsuit, I only said that it seemed like a case that should be properly handled with the assistance of a lawyer," asserting that he did not intervene in the trial and that there was no quid pro quo.
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