"Violation of Kim Young-ran Act"... Civic Group Files Complaint Against Deputy Minister of Justice Over 'Free Office Suspicion'

Lee Yong-gu, Deputy Minister of Justice, is waiting for the meeting to start at the "Agenda Coordination Committee on the Partial Amendment to the Act on the Establishment and Operation of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office" held on the 8th at the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee in Yeouido, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Vice Minister of Justice Lee Yong-gu and former Minister of Justice Park Sang-gi have been reported to the prosecution over allegations that Lee provided an office free of charge to Park after his retirement.

The Action Alliance for the Restoration of the Rule of Law (Beopse-ryeon) announced that it reported Vice Minister Lee and former Minister Park to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office on charges of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.

Beopse-ryeon stated, "When Vice Minister Lee was serving as the Director of the Legal Affairs Office of the Ministry of Justice, he promised then-Minister Park Sang-gi that he would prepare a research office for him after his retirement, and in April, as promised, provided one of the three personal office rooms to former Minister Park. Since the total office rent is about 3 million KRW per month, former Minister Park received benefits worth approximately 4 million KRW over four months of use starting from August," they claimed.

They continued, "Vice Minister Lee promised to provide the office to former Minister Park and actually provided it free of charge, granting benefits worth about 4 million KRW, which constitutes a violation of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act. If there was any quid pro quo or improper solicitation related to official duties during the promise and receipt of the benefits, there is a possibility that post-factum bribery charges could be established, and we request an investigation into this matter," they explained.

It was revealed that after stepping down as Director of the Legal Affairs Office in April, Vice Minister Lee provided one of the three personal office rooms located in Seocho-dong, Seoul, to former Minister Park free of charge, sparking controversy. Last month, it was also reported that Park Eun-jung, the Ministry of Justice's Inspection Officer, met with former Minister Park at this location regarding the inspection of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, which also raised concerns about violations of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.

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