Prosecutors Indict Former Lawmaker Lee Sang-jik and Two Others on Charges of Hiring Fraud at Eastar

Former National Assembly member Lee Sang-jik, who is suspected of illegal hiring at Eastar Jet, is entering the Jeonju District Court on the afternoon of the 14th of last month to attend a pre-arrest detention hearing (warrant review).
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Lee Sang-jik, former lawmaker and founder of Eastar Jet, has been indicted on charges of 'improper hiring.'

On the 1st, the Criminal Division 3 of Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kwon Chanhyuk) announced that former lawmaker Lee and Choi Jong-gu, former CEO of Eastar Jet, were arrested and indicted on charges of obstruction of business. Kim Yusang, another former CEO of Eastar Jet, was also indicted without detention on the same charges.

Lee and others are accused of exerting undue pressure on HR personnel to improperly hire 147 applicants who had received recommendations (76 of whom were finally accepted) during the hiring process of approximately 600 people from the second half of 2015 to the first half of 2019.

During this process, it was investigated that applicants who did not meet the document screening criteria or who did not even submit applications received benefits. In cases of hiring specific individuals, multiple instances of fraud were involved in the document screening and first and second interview stages, and including these, the total number of offenses reached 184, according to the prosecution.

A prosecution official stated, "The case, which the police had twice decided not to prosecute due to lack of evidence, was transferred for investigation following the complainant's objection," and explained, "It was revealed that there was unfairness throughout the entire hiring process, including multiple instances of pressure to ensure specific individuals passed at each stage of the hiring procedure."

He added, "We will do our best to maintain the prosecution so that appropriate sentences corresponding to the defendants' responsibilities can be handed down during the future investigation and trial process."

Earlier, former lawmaker Lee and former CEO Choi were arrested on the 14th of last month after a pre-trial detention hearing. Judge Ji Yunseop, in charge of the warrant at Jeonju District Court, stated at the time, "a substantial part of the criminal charges has been substantiated, and there is a risk of flight and evidence destruction," adding, "Considering the serious nature of the crime involving improper hiring of many people over a long period, as well as the witnesses and personal relationships involved," as the reason for issuing the warrant.

It is known that the hiring documents seized during a search of Eastar Jet offices by the Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office contained names of current metropolitan governors and former members of the National Assembly as recommenders. The prosecution plans to continue investigating the circumstances of the recommendations made to Lee and others, including whether there was any quid pro quo.

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