'Not Guilty' Verdict in First Trial for Former Court Chief Lee Tae-jong on Charges of Confidential Information Leakage

Suspicions of Judicial Administrative Power Abuse During Yang Seung-tae Era
Fourth Case and Sixth Person Acquitted

Former Chief Judge Lee Tae-jong of the Seoul Western District Court, who was indicted on charges of leaking investigation secrets to prevent the expansion of an investigation into internal court corruption, is leaving the courtroom after the sentencing hearing held on the morning of the 18th at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Jo] Lee Tae-jong, former chief judge of the Seoul Western District Court, who was prosecuted on suspicion of abuse of judicial administrative power during the tenure of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Seung-tae, was acquitted in the first trial. This is the fourth and sixth acquittal related to the indicted cases.

The Criminal Division 26 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Raeni) acquitted former Chief Judge Lee on the 18th of charges including abuse of authority, obstruction of the exercise of rights, and disclosure of official secrets. Former Chief Judge Lee was indicted on charges of disclosing official secrets by extracting information from investigation records attached to a warrant requested by prosecutors in 2016 during their investigation into corruption at the Seoul Western District Court Enforcement Officer's Office, preparing a report, and sending it to the Court Administration Office. He was also charged with abuse of authority for instructing court staff to report on copies of the warrant application and statements from related persons to the prosecution.

The court ruled that the prosecution failed to prove these charges. The court stated, "There is no evidence to acknowledge that former Chief Judge Lee received instructions or requests from the Court Administration Office to prevent the expansion of the investigation, nor has any related fact been confirmed. Former Chief Judge Lee only ordered a thorough audit, and even reviewing the materials collected by the court, there is no material related to the expansion of the investigation beyond what was necessary for the audit."

After the trial, former Chief Judge Lee told reporters, "I am truly glad that the damaged honor of a judge who has fiercely conducted trials on the front lines of the courts for over 30 years can be restored even a little." With this acquittal, one more not guilty verdict has been added in cases related to judicial corruption. There have been no guilty verdicts. Shin Kwang-ryeol, a presiding judge who was indicted for extracting investigation information during a warrant trial and reporting it to the Court Administration Office, was also acquitted. Additionally, former Supreme Court Senior Research Judge Yoo Hae-yong, and presiding judges Jo Ui-yeon, Sung Chang-ho, and Lim Seong-geun have also been acquitted.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.