[2020 National Audit] 78 Ministry of Justice Officials Dismissed Over 5 Years for Attempted Rape and Bribery

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] It has been revealed that 78 public officials within the Ministry of Justice have been dismissed or discharged over the past five years for reasons such as attempted rape and bribery.

According to data submitted by the Ministry of Justice to Yoon Han-hong, a member of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee from the People Power Party, more than 15 Ministry of Justice officials have been consistently dismissed or discharged each year over the past five years since 2016 due to various crimes and misconduct, as reported on the 12th.

The number of dismissals or discharges by year was 16 in 2016, 22 in 2017, 15 in 2018, and 16 last year, consistently exceeding 15 annually. As of July this year, a total of 9 officials have been dismissed or discharged.

Notably, there were several high-ranking officials involved, including six prosecutors (for bribery and damage to dignity), one Grade 3 Ministry of Justice official (damage to dignity), two prosecutorial investigation secretaries (leakage of official secrets and sexual harassment), and one Grade 4 official at Seoul Detention Center (accepting entertainment and gifts).

By reason, bribery and acceptance of entertainment accounted for the highest number at 28, followed by damage to dignity at 15, sexual harassment at 9 cases, and drunk driving at 8 cases. There were also cases involving crimes such as attempted rape, violation of foreign exchange transaction laws, nighttime residential burglary, fraud, embezzlement of national budget, and embezzlement of public funds.

There were also dismissals or discharges due to investigative-related misconduct such as leakage of investigation documents, bribery, fraudulent acts after receiving bribes, private contact with parties involved in cases, and leakage of official secrets, raising concerns about the fairness of prosecutorial investigations.

Representative Yoon stated, "The criminal and misconduct acts of Ministry of Justice officials, who should comply with the law and perform their duties fairly more than anyone else, have reached a serious level," adding, "Drastic measures must be taken to erase the stigma of being a lawless ministry rather than the Ministry of Justice."

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