Merger with Lee Seong-yoon? ... 'Kim Hak-ui Illegal Departure' Lee Gyu-won and Cha Gyu-geun 2nd Public Hearing Today

Chagyugeun, Director of the Immigration and Foreign Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Justice [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The second trial of Prosecutor Lee Gyuwon and Director Cha Gyugeun of the Ministry of Justice Immigration and Foreigners Policy Headquarters, who were indicted for alleged illegal travel bans related to former Vice Minister of Justice Kim Hak-ui, will be held. It is expected that the court will also discuss whether to merge this case with the separately indicted case of Seoul High Prosecutor Lee Seongyun and whether to amend the indictment to include evidence of involvement by so-called 'higher-ups,' including former Blue House Civil Affairs Secretary Cho Kuk.

According to the court on the 15th, at 2 p.m., the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 27 (Presiding Judges Kim Seonil, Kim Taekyun, Lee Seunghun) will hold the second pretrial hearing for Prosecutor Lee and Director Cha, who were indicted without detention on charges including forgery and use of false official documents and obstruction of the exercise of official duties. The pretrial hearing is a procedure to organize the evidence plan for the upcoming trial. Since there is no obligation for the defendants to appear, it is uncertain whether Director Cha and Prosecutor Lee will appear in court in person.

Previously, Prosecutor Lee is accused of blocking former Vice Minister Kim’s late-night departure attempt on March 22, 2019, by using an emergency travel ban request form created with a past case number that had been cleared of charges related to sexual bribery and bribery allegations, and of entering a non-existent investigation number in the subsequent approval request form.

Director Cha is accused of approving the travel ban request the next day, knowing that Prosecutor Lee had illegally imposed the emergency travel ban on former Vice Minister Kim. He is also accused of receiving reports on over a hundred occasions about personal information inquiries such as Kim’s name and date of birth through Ministry of Justice immigration inspection officials.

Meanwhile, attention is focused on whether to merge this case with the case of Seoul High Prosecutor Lee, who was indicted on the 12th of last month for allegedly pressuring the Anyang branch of Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office to halt the investigation into former Vice Minister Kim’s travel ban case while serving as head of the Anti-Corruption and Serious Crime Division of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office. These cases have been assigned to the same trial panel. The decision on the merger will be made by the court after hearing opinions from both the prosecution and defense and reviewing relevant legal principles. Subsequently, Director Cha’s side submitted a statement expressing that they do not wish to have the merger hearing with Prosecutor Lee’s case.

The court is also expected to decide on the 'permission to amend the indictment' on the same day. On the 6th, the prosecution submitted a request to the court to amend the indictment in the cases of Prosecutor Lee and Director Cha to include evidence of involvement by former Secretary Cho Kuk.

The amendment includes details that Prosecutor Lee learned on March 22, 2019, that former Vice Minister Kim was attempting to leave the country, called Lee Gwangcheol, then Senior Administrative Officer and Civil Affairs Secretary, to say that approval from the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office was needed for the travel ban, and that Lee then contacted former Secretary Cho. It also includes that former Secretary Cho contacted Yoon Daejin, then Director of the Ministry of Justice Prosecutor’s Office, who in turn contacted Bong Wook, then Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, to relay Prosecutor Lee’s request.

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