Judge: "The 'baby' refers to an employee at a 7080 live cafe"
"It's an open space without private rooms, not an entertainment bar"
A sitting judge, who caused a disturbance by drinking at a karaoke bar during work hours and is suspected of receiving entertainment from a lawyer, appeared before a parliamentary audit and expressed remorse. An almost absurd scene unfolded as a chief judge, a key figure in the judiciary, answered before lawmakers, saying, "The 'baby' refers to an employee at a 7080 live cafe."
On the 21st, Yeo Kyungeun, Chief Judge at the Pyeongtaek Branch of Suwon District Court, appeared at the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee's audit. It was confirmed that in June of last year, while working at Jeju District Court, Chief Judge Yeo, along with Chief Judges Oh Changhun and Kang Ranju, drank alcohol during lunch and went to a karaoke bar, where they caused a commotion.
"Deeply Reflecting on Inappropriate Conduct"
On the night of the 21st, at the National Assembly Judiciary Committee's national audit session, Seo Youngkyo, a Democratic Party member of the Judiciary Committee, questioned Chief Judge Yeo Kyung-eun about the identity of "aegi" mentioned in text messages exchanged with a lawyer in early December last year, revealing the messages. Photo by MBC News.
In response, the National Assembly Judiciary Committee selected the three chief judges as witnesses for the audit, stating they would question them about the "drunken disturbance." However, Chief Judge Yeo initially submitted a written excuse for not attending as a witness, but later appeared at the audit session after receiving an order to accompany from the committee. The other two chief judges from Jeju District Court refused to comply with the order to accompany and were reported to the committee.
On that day, Chief Judge Yeo explained the situation, saying, "We drank during lunch to bid farewell to a staff member going abroad, but the drinking session went on too long and I became intoxicated. It was careless behavior." She bowed her head, adding, "I am deeply reflecting on my inappropriate conduct."
"The 'Baby' Refers to a Female Employee at a 7080 Live Cafe"
She also clarified the controversial KakaoTalk messages. When Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Gipyo asked who the "baby" referred to in the message exchanged with a lawyer-"For the second round today, should we sneak over to see the baby?"-the former chief judge replied, "It refers to a specific female employee at a 7080 live cafe." In response to the question, "Isn't that an entertainment bar?" she answered, "It's an open space without private rooms; it's not that kind of place."
Regarding the lawyer in the KakaoTalk conversation, she said, "He is a lawyer who traveled between Seoul and Jeju and is a high school alumnus whom I've known for seven to eight years." This lawyer is currently under police investigation for allegedly contacting the defense counsel of a defendant in a criminal trial in Jeju last November, offering to "talk to the judge and secure the desired verdict" in exchange for tens of millions of won.
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