Prosecution Ordered to Leave Courtroom Demands Correction from Court "Risk of Illegality"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, which was asked to vacate the prosecution division in the courthouse, has publicly demanded correction, arguing that the court's action may be illegal.

According to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on the 23rd, the Seoul High Court recently closed one of the entrances on the 12th floor, where the prosecution division office is located, citing security reasons.

The prosecution pointed out that the closed entrance is connected to an emergency evacuation route, which could pose problems in case of an emergency. The prosecution claimed, "There is a significant obstacle to the prompt evacuation to the emergency stairs in case of fire or urgent situations, which likely violates fire-related laws."

Additionally, the prosecution stated that the court refused to issue an access card to one of the prosecution division staff members the day before. They said, "This obstructs the employee's legitimate official duties and is a serious matter that causes considerable disruption to trial preparation and civil service work."

They also demanded the Seoul High Court Chief Judge, who oversees courthouse management and supervision, to clarify whether such potentially illegal measures were decided by the Courthouse Management Committee or resulted from a court employee's misconduct, and to prevent recurrence.

Following a resolution by the Seoul Court Complex Management Committee, the Seoul High Court sent an official letter on the 19th of last month requesting the Seoul High Court and Central District Prosecutors' Office to vacate the prosecution division office by the 26th.

When the Seocho-dong courthouse was newly built in 1989, the prosecution agreed to provide part of its land in exchange for some space allocated to the prosecution division responsible for trials. However, as court duties increased, the demand for space within the courthouse grew, leading to conflicts between the prosecution and the court.

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