Prosecutors Disciplined for Receiving Entertainment
from Kim Bonghyun in the Lime Scandal
Prosecutors who received expensive entertainment from Kim Bonghyun, the former chairman of Star Mobility and a key figure in the Lime scandal, have been given disciplinary actions including suspension and reprimand.
According to the legal community on May 14, the Ministry of Justice on May 9 imposed a one-month suspension and a disciplinary surcharge of approximately 3.49 million won?three times the value of the entertainment received?on prosecutor Na Euibyeop of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office. Prosecutor Yoo (full name undisclosed) of the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office and prosecutor Lim (full name undisclosed) of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office each received a reprimand and a disciplinary surcharge of about 660,000 won, equivalent to the value of the entertainment they received. There are five types of disciplinary actions for prosecutors: dismissal, removal, suspension, salary reduction, and reprimand. Generally, suspension or more severe actions are classified as major disciplinary measures.
The reason for the disciplinary actions was that, on July 18, 2019, at an entertainment bar, the prosecutors received hospitality from former chairman Kim, whom they met through attorney Lee (a former prosecutor), thereby damaging the dignity required of prosecutors.
The Ministry of Justice determined that prosecutor Na received entertainment worth 1,163,767 won, while prosecutors Yoo and Lim each received entertainment worth 664,767 won. The gathering, which cost a total of 5.36 million won, came to light after Kim revealed it in a "prison letter" in October 2020. In entertainment-related cases, the total cost is typically divided by the number of participants to calculate the amount received per person. If the amount exceeds 1 million won per occasion, prosecutors can be punished for violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, even if the entertainment is not related to their official duties.
The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, which investigated the case, concluded in December 2020 that the amounts received by prosecutors Yoo and Lim were each 960,000 won, falling short of the 1 million won threshold. As a result, only prosecutor Na (1.14 million won), former chairman Kim, and attorney Lee were indicted for violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice imposed a three-month salary reduction on Ko (full name undisclosed), a research fellow at the Legal Research and Training Institute, for failing to submit research results within the deadline.
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