'Investigation Interference' Lee Seong-yoon's First Trial Today... The First 'Defendant High Prosecutor'

Seong-Yoon Lee, Chief Prosecutor of Seoul High Prosecutors' Office / Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The first formal trial of Lee Seong-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, who was indicted on charges of exerting external pressure in the investigation of former Vice Minister of Justice Kim Hak-ui's illegal travel ban case, will be held.

According to the court on the 20th, the 27th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Seon-il) will hold the first hearing of Chief Prosecutor Lee, who was indicted on charges of abuse of authority, at 10:30 a.m. on the same day. According to the defendant's obligation to appear at the formal trial, Chief Prosecutor Lee must appear in court in person.

At the hearing, Jang Jun-hee, then Head of the 3rd Criminal Division at the Anyang Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, who blew the whistle on the 'Kim Hak-ui illegal travel ban' case, is scheduled to testify as a witness.

Previously, Chief Prosecutor Lee was indicted on charges of exerting pressure to stop the investigation after the Anyang Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office detected signs of former Vice Minister Kim's illegal travel ban and attempted to investigate in 2019. The prosecution's view is that Chief Prosecutor Lee made phone calls to the leadership of the Anyang Branch to exert external pressure and distort the investigation results.

On the other hand, Chief Prosecutor Lee's side denies the charges, stating, "The defendant was not involved in the travel ban of former Vice Minister Kim, and handled the matter through lawful reporting procedures according to relevant regulations, so there is no motive to interfere with the Anyang Branch's investigation."

Meanwhile, the cases involving former Blue House Civil Affairs Secretary Lee Gwang-cheol, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Lee Gyu-won of the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office, and Research Fellow Cha Gyu-geun of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, who were involved in the illegal travel ban case, are being jointly heard by the same trial division. They appeared at the first formal trial held on the 15th. In court, former Secretary Lee emphasized, "The more important thing is to uncover the truth about Kim Hak-ui's sexual bribery," and stated, "There was no action against my professional or personal conscience."

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