On the 23rd, the prosecution indicted four individuals without detention on charges of obstruction of business in connection with the suspicion of preferential employment at Korea Integrated Logistics involving Lee Jeong-geun, former Deputy Secretary-General of the Democratic Party of Korea. The four include former Presidential Chief of Staff Noh Young-min, former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Hyun-mi, former Presidential Office Personnel Secretary Kwon Yong-il, and former head of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Operations Support Division, Mr. Jeon.
According to the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Lee Seung-hak), Noh, Kim, and Kwon are accused of employing Lee Jeong-geun as a full-time advisor at Korea Integrated Logistics in August 2020 and providing him with approximately 135.6 million KRW in salary and about 14 million KRW worth of company vehicle rental fees until July of the following year, thereby obstructing the personnel affairs of Korea Integrated Logistics. Lee ran as a Democratic Party candidate in the 21st general election in April 2020 but was defeated. The prosecution reportedly confirmed that immediately after his defeat, Lee met with former Chief of Staff Noh and shortly thereafter sent a text message saying, "Only Chief's chance." At that time, Kim Hyun-mi was the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
The prosecution stated, "This is a crime that exercised influence by using the authority of state agencies to manage, supervise, and impose administrative sanctions on private companies, compelling the private company to employ political figures." They added, "We will make every effort to maintain the prosecution so that a sentence commensurate with the crime can be imposed."
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