The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission Requests the Corruption Investigation Office to Investigate the Travel Ban on Former Deputy Minister of Justice Kim Hak-ui

Park Gye-ok, Standing Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, announces on the 30th at the Government Seoul Office that the case related to the travel ban on former Deputy Minister of Justice Kim Hak-ui will be referred to the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Department. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) announced on the 30th that it has decided to refer the public interest report related to the emergency travel ban on former Vice Minister of Justice Kim Hak-ui to the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (HOCIU).

The ACRC explained that it held a plenary meeting the day before and judged that the report regarding the emergency travel ban on former Vice Minister Kim required investigation, deciding to refer the case to the HOCIU.

Earlier, in January, the ACRC received a public interest report alleging that current and former senior officials of the Ministry of Justice and related public officials violated the 'Personal Information Protection Act,' 'Immigration Control Act,' and abused their authority in connection with the emergency travel ban on former Vice Minister Kim Hak-ui.

An ACRC official stated, "After verifying the facts according to relevant laws, we determined that an investigation was necessary," adding, "In principle, investigative agencies must conclude investigations within 60 days from the date of referral and notify the ACRC of the results within 10 days after conclusion."

Kim Jin-wook, head of the HOCIU, previously re-referred the emergency travel ban case of former Vice Minister Kim Hak-ui, which was handed over from the prosecution, to the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, requesting, "Please send it after investigation."

An ACRC official said, "We are aware that the HOCIU re-referred the case to the prosecution, but according to relevant laws, we decided to refer it to the HOCIU," adding, "The agency receiving the referral should not, in principle, re-refer it to another agency without consulting the ACRC."

Meanwhile, the ACRC plans to operate a focused reporting period for corruption by high-ranking officials until the 21st of next month and a focused reporting period for public officials' job-related speculative acts until June 30.

The ACRC intends to simplify procedures when necessary for reported cases and request investigations from the HOCIU, the Government Joint Special Investigation Headquarters, and others to expedite processing speed.

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