Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye: "Regarding Lee Seong-yoon's Indictment Leak, It Is Important to First Clarify the Facts"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye stated that "it is important to first uncover the truth" regarding the leak of the indictment against Seoul Central District Prosecutor Lee Seong-yoon, who was charged with exerting external pressure in the illegal travel ban investigation of former Deputy Minister of Justice Kim Hak-ui.

On the 17th, as he arrived at the Government Complex Gwacheon, Minister Park responded to reporters' questions about the possibility of disciplinary action against the leaker by saying, "It is too early to make a hasty conclusion."

Regarding some opinions that "since the indictment has been made, it is difficult to view the leak of the indictment as illegal," he emphasized, "Some media outlets refer to the criminal case confidentiality regulations, but that is not the issue," adding, "Even an indicted defendant has the right to a fair trial."

Minister Park also said, "There are protected values such as personal information and protected legal interests such as investigation secrets, and there are suspicions that these may have been collectively infringed upon," and stressed, "The correlation before and after the first trial date, before the parties are served, before the indictment is formally reported to the Ministry of Justice for information purposes, and before it is disclosed to constitutional institutions such as the National Assembly is extremely important."

Regarding reports that "more than 100 prosecutors have seen the indictment," Minister Park replied, "I have not been informed."

Recently, after the prosecution indicted Seoul Central District Prosecutor Lee Seong-yoon, the contents of the indictment detailing his charges were disclosed before being served to the concerned party, rapidly fueling suspicions of a leak.

In response, on the afternoon of the 15th, Minister Park instructed Acting Prosecutor General Cho Nam-gwan to investigate the truth of the allegations. Acting Prosecutor General Cho promptly took measures to enable cooperation among the Inspection Division 1, Inspection Division 3, and the Information and Communications Division to clarify the facts.

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