Former prosecutor Lee Kyu-won, who ran for the general election without returning to the prosecution, has been dismissed from his position as a prosecutor. According to the official gazette today (29th), the Ministry of Justice dismissed Lee on the 26th for violating duties related to his position and engaging in political activities.
The Ministry of Justice stated that Lee “refused to report to work without a valid reason since April and engaged in political activities as a spokesperson for a specific political party from May.”
Additionally, it was revealed that he “obstructed the work of the committee by submitting false interview reports while serving as an internal member of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office from November 2018 to June 2019. Moreover, he leaked the interview results to reporters, leading to their publication.”
The disciplinary reasons also included allegations that in March 2019, he impersonated the acting head of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office to craft and utilize requests for an emergency travel ban on former Vice Minister of Justice Kim Hak-ui, which was deemed illegal, and concealed related documents.
Previously, Lee submitted his resignation in March to run for the general election, but the Ministry of Justice did not accept it, citing the ongoing appeal in the case related to Kim’s illegal travel ban. Despite his resignation not being accepted, Lee ran for the general election in April as number 22 on the proportional representation list for the Patriotic Innovation Party and, after losing, did not return to work but continued as the party’s spokesperson.
Lee was charged in April 2021 for his involvement in the illegal travel ban against Kim and was acquitted in the appellate court on the 25th. A separate trial is ongoing for allegations of falsifying contents in interview reports with figures like construction businessman Yoon Jung-chun and former presidential secretary Park Kwan-chun.
Additionally, the Ministry of Justice dismissed a prosecutor from the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office, identified as Prosecutor A, who refused a breathalyzer test during a drunk driving police check and later drove under the influence again the same month, recording a blood alcohol level of 0.077%, sufficient to suspend his license.
Prosecutor B from the Goyang Branch of the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors’ Office, who caused a rollover accident while driving at a license suspension-level of intoxication in February, received a one-month suspension. Prosecutors C and D from the Busan Eastern Branch were suspended for six and four months, respectively, for engaging in inappropriate relationships despite knowing they were married.
Prosecutor C also faced disciplinary action for executing a sentence for 4 hours and 20 minutes without knowing the Supreme Court had reversed a probation cancellation decision.