Tomorrow's Crucial Moment to Determine Lee Seong-yoon's Fate... Prosecution Investigation Deliberation Committee to Convene

Lee Seong-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Central District Prosecutors' Office, is attending the nationwide district prosecutors' chiefs and election affairs deputy chiefs meeting held at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 10th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The Prosecutors' Investigation Deliberation Committee meeting regarding Lee Seong-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, who is suspected of interfering with the illegal travel ban on former Deputy Minister of Justice Kim Hak-ui and exerting external pressure on related investigations, will be held tomorrow (the 9th).

This meeting is to determine whether the investigation and prosecution of Chief Prosecutor Lee are appropriate. Depending on the conclusion, Lee's position could change, drawing attention to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office where the meeting will take place.

According to the legal community, the Prosecutors' Investigation Deliberation Committee, which reviews and recommends whether to indict or continue investigating Chief Prosecutor Lee, will convene at 2 p.m. on the 10th at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.

The committee, composed of external experts, will review written opinions of up to 30 pages submitted by the investigation team and Lee's defense lawyers during the meeting, and then decide whether to recommend prosecution or continuation of the investigation to the investigation team.

The investigation team is not obligated to follow the committee's recommendation, but must consider it when making a final decision.

The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation team, which investigated the allegations against Lee, is already known to have decided to indict him, so the committee's recommendation is unlikely to have a significant impact. It is also reported that the Supreme Prosecutors' Office has no objections to Lee's indictment. Furthermore, if Kim Oh-soo, the nominee for Prosecutor General, is appointed, there is a possibility of personnel changes replacing the investigation team, so both the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and the investigation team are expected to conclude the investigation and expedite the indictment.

Despite the indictment being highly likely, Lee applied for the investigation deliberation committee, which has been criticized in the legal community as a mere 'stalling' tactic. It is believed that Lee, who was mentioned as a candidate for the next Prosecutor General, tried to prevent being indicted before the appointment process. However, Lee ultimately failed to make it into the final four candidates for Prosecutor General, partly due to unresolved suspicions.

Nevertheless, many analyses suggest that Lee's future will still depend on the outcome of this investigation deliberation committee. If the committee supports the investigation team and Lee is brought to trial, it could become an obstacle to his remaining or being promoted as Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in the personnel reshuffle expected under the appointment of Kim Oh-soo as Prosecutor General.

For this reason, Lee is expected to actively deny the allegations at the committee. He may argue that the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation is biased and flawed, and call for the investigation to be conducted by the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (Gongu-cheo). In response, the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation team is reportedly confident in proving Lee's charges, setting the stage for a fierce confrontation.

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