Dismissal of Charges Against Inspector Lee Jeong-su... Resignation Likely to Be Accepted

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] It has been confirmed that the cases involving Lee Jung-soo, a research fellow at the Legal Research and Training Institute who was accused by civic groups of job-related charges during his tenure as the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, were recently dismissed.

According to the prosecution on the 9th, the Criminal Division 5 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Park Kyu-hyung) dismissed the case on the 7th against Lee, who was accused by the civic group National Council of Evictees (Jeoncheolhyeop) of dereliction of duty related to the Daejang-dong case investigation, stating there was no evidence to support the charges. The case filed by the Lawyers for Human Rights and Unification of the Korean Peninsula with the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office on the same charges was also dismissed.

The case in which the Citizens' Action for Judicial Justice sought to prosecute Lee for dereliction of duty in the investigation of the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case was similarly dismissed by the prosecution.

Accordingly, there is speculation that Lee's resignation may soon be accepted. Lee was considered a 'pro-government figure' during the previous administration and held key positions such as Director of the Prosecutor's Office and Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office. In June last year, he was appointed head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, the largest prosecution office in the country. While serving as the head of the Central District Prosecutors' Office, he led investigations into allegations involving President Yoon Seok-yeol's family corruption, including suspicions of involvement in the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case and preferential treatment in the Daejang-dong development and lobbying scandal.

Lee was also criticized for delaying the handling of the 'Channel A case' involving Justice Minister nominee Han Dong-hoon, but in early last month, after more than two years, the case was dismissed without charges. During the 'complete prosecution reform' phase, Lee voluntarily held a press conference to criticize the problems with the legislation. After the law was passed in the National Assembly, he expressed his intention to resign to the Ministry of Justice, but his resignation was not accepted as the accused cases had not been resolved.

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