Yoon Seok-yeol 'Disciplinary Cancellation' Trial Adopts Shim Jae-cheol and Lee Jung-hyun as Witnesses

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol’s administrative lawsuit seeking to cancel his two-month suspension disciplinary action will see Sim Jae-cheol, head of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office (then Director of the Prosecutor’s Office at the Ministry of Justice), and Lee Jung-hyun, head of the Public Investigation Department at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, testify as witnesses in court.

The Administrative 12th Division of the Seoul Administrative Court (Presiding Judge Jeong Yong-seok) held the first preparatory hearing on the 10th for Yoon’s lawsuit against the Minister of Justice seeking to cancel the disciplinary action, and selected Sim and Lee as witnesses. Yoon’s side requested Sim and Lee as witnesses to support their claim that there were no grounds for the Ministry of Justice’s disciplinary action, and the court accepted this. Accordingly, Sim and Lee are expected to testify regarding the allegations recognized as grounds for Yoon’s disciplinary action, including the creation and distribution of the “Judiciary Surveillance Suspicion Document” and obstruction of the “Channel A case” investigation.

Sim was serving as the head of the Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Division at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in February last year when the so-called “Judiciary Surveillance” document was created. He previously submitted a statement to the Prosecutor Disciplinary Committee regarding Yoon, claiming he opposed the distribution of the surveillance document. Lee was the first deputy chief prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office last year during the investigation of the so-called “media collusion” case involving Channel A reporter’s attempted coercion. The court plans to summon and question Sim and Lee as witnesses on the 19th of next month.

Earlier, the Ministry of Justice excluded Yoon, who was in office at the time under former Minister Chu Mi-ae, from his duties in November last year and held a Prosecutor Disciplinary Committee in December, imposing a two-month suspension. Six allegations were raised as grounds for discipline, of which four were recognized: ▲ creation and distribution of the Judiciary Surveillance Suspicion Document related to major cases, ▲ obstruction of inspection related to the Channel A case, ▲ obstruction of investigation related to the Channel A case, and ▲ violation of political neutrality. Yoon applied for a suspension of execution (stay of effect) against the exclusion from duty and disciplinary action, both of which were granted, and filed a main lawsuit seeking cancellation of the disciplinary action.

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