Prosecutors Ban Kaher Kazem President from Leaving the Country Again... Korea GM "Deeply Regret"

Kaher Kazem, President of Korea GM, is taking his temperature while attending the "Automotive Industry Meeting for COVID-19 Response" held on the afternoon of the 21st at the Automobile Hall in Seocho-dong, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] The prosecution has re-imposed a travel ban on Kaher Kazem (51), president of Korea GM, who recently had his travel ban extension canceled by the court.

According to the legal and industry circles on the 8th, the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office imposed a travel ban on President Kazem around the end of last month. Previously, Kazem was indicted in July last year on charges of violating the Act on the Protection of Dispatched Workers and is currently undergoing a first trial. Kazem received a travel ban from the Ministry of Justice last year while the investigation was ongoing, and when the ban period was extended, he filed a lawsuit against the Minister of Justice in July of the same year.

The Seoul Administrative Court ruled on the 23rd of last month in favor of the plaintiff, ordering the cancellation of the extension of Kazem's travel ban. Separately from this lawsuit, Kazem also received a suspension of execution decision regarding the extension of the travel ban in March. The Ministry of Justice is reviewing whether to appeal, but since an appeal is only possible if the travel ban is maintained, it is reported that the travel ban was re-imposed on Kazem.

The prosecution states that since the court has also accepted the suspension of execution regarding Kazem's travel ban, he is free to enter and exit the country during this period. However, Korea GM cannot hide its bewilderment at the Ministry of Justice and prosecution's judgment. A Korea GM official said, "Considering that the court's clear decision to lift the travel ban was only made on the 23rd of last month, this is unreasonable and unnecessary," adding, "We deeply regret this decision."

Within the industry, there are concerns that communication with the headquarters regarding common issues faced by automakers, such as the current shortage of automotive semiconductors and new car allocation problems, may weaken.

Furthermore, considering that President Kazem recently returned to Korea after a business trip to the U.S. headquarters and that Kazem and GM headquarters submitted a statement to the Seoul Administrative Court expressing their intention to faithfully participate in the criminal trial, some argue that the risk of flight is low and that the Ministry of Justice's actions may be excessive.

President Kazem met with GM headquarters executives in the U.S. earlier last month to discuss the automotive semiconductor shortage and Korea GM's future plans.

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