Former Blue House Administrator Who Obstructed Sewol Special Investigation Committee Wins Appeal to Cancel Disciplinary Action

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] A former senior administrative officer at the Blue House who was suspended for one month for obstructing the activities of the Sewol Ferry Disaster Special Investigation Committee (Special Committee) during the Park Geun-hye administration has won lawsuits to cancel the suspension in both the first and second trials.

According to the court on the 7th, the Seoul High Court Administrative Division 10 (Presiding Judges Lee Won-hyung, Sung Eon-ju, Yang Jin-su) ruled in favor of Kang, a former senior administrative officer at the Blue House Marine and Fisheries Secretary Office (currently Policy Planning Officer at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries), in his lawsuit against the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to cancel the suspension, just as in the first trial.

Kang was accused of abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights by preventing the Special Committee from adopting an agenda to investigate former President Park's whereabouts on the day of the accident through Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries officials in October 2015 while working as a Blue House administrative officer. The prosecution decided to suspend indictment on Kang's charges.

During this process, Kang prepared a document titled "Background and Response Plan for the Establishment of the Special Committee" (hereinafter referred to as the Response Plan document), and his work notebook from his time at the Blue House reportedly contained evidence that the Blue House and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries had prepared measures to respond to the Special Committee's investigation. Based on this, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries held a disciplinary committee and imposed a one-month suspension.

Kang filed an administrative lawsuit in objection. Both the first and second trial courts ruled that the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries' disciplinary action was invalid as it was made after the statute of limitations had expired.

Our National Public Officials Act stipulates that a request for disciplinary action must be made within three years from the date the cause for discipline occurs. However, in Kang's case, the request for disciplinary action was made in 2019 for an issue that occurred in 2015.

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