'Cancellation of Yoon Seok-yeol's 2-Month Suspension' Administrative Lawsuit First Trial Today

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The first trial of the administrative lawsuit filed by former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol against the Ministry of Justice, seeking to cancel the disciplinary action of a '2-month suspension,' will be held.

According to the court on the 10th, at 2:30 p.m. on the same day, the Administrative Division 12 of the Seoul Administrative Court (Chief Judge Jeong Yong-seok) will hold the first preparatory hearing for the lawsuit filed by former Prosecutor General Yoon against the Minister of Justice to cancel the disciplinary action. The preparatory hearing is a procedure held before the formal trial to confirm the positions of both parties and discuss evidence investigation and proof plans. Since administrative lawsuits do not require the parties to appear in person, it is highly likely that former Prosecutor General Yoon will not appear in court.

Previously, former Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae excluded former Prosecutor General Yoon from duty in November last year on grounds including 'judicial surveillance,' and in December of the same year, held a disciplinary committee meeting where a majority of attending members approved a 2-month suspension disciplinary action, then submitted the disciplinary proposal to President Moon Jae-in. President Moon approved the disciplinary proposal on the day it was submitted.

However, former Prosecutor General Yoon applied for a suspension of execution (suspension of effect) against the exclusion from duty and disciplinary action, and the court accepted all requests within a week, allowing him to return to duty. Afterwards, he filed an administrative lawsuit seeking to cancel the disciplinary action itself.

Yoon's side argues that the disciplinary reasons presented by the Ministry of Justice are factually incorrect and that the disciplinary action was procedurally illegal. The reasons for his disciplinary action were ▲ inappropriate contact with media company owners ▲ illegal surveillance of trial panels in major cases such as the former Minister Cho Kuk case ▲ obstruction of inspection and investigation to protect close aides related to the Channel A case and former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook case, and trading of inspection-related information with the media ▲ violation of cooperation obligations and obstruction of inspection during the face-to-face investigation with the Prosecutor General ▲ serious damage to the dignity and trust as Prosecutor General regarding political neutrality.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Justice is known to have submitted a written response to the court through its legal representative at the end of April, about four months after being involved in the lawsuit, stating that 'the disciplinary reasons are recognized and the disciplinary action was carried out according to procedure.'

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