“Prosecutors Who Solicited Promotion Will Be Receive Sanctions“

The Ministry of Justice announced that the prosecutors whose promotion is solicited from outside forces will receive warning and disadvantages in their promotion.

The Justice Ministry is reportedly using the secret data in its electronic database system about the solicitation from outside for the promotion of prosecutors since 2000.

The database includes the identity of the solicitors and detailed contents of the solicitation, and the Ministry has used the record for the promotion review.

However, Seo Woo-Jung, the director of Public Information, commented that "It is true that the Justice Ministry decided to impose disadvantages on persons whose promotion is solicited by outside forces, but I cannot confirm whether the Ministry has such a database about the solicitation."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice will apply this principle, accepting the remarks of Lee Myung-Jae, the new Prosecutor General, for personnel reform free of external influence and for reprimanding persons involved in the cover-up of various Gate investigations.

The first investigation of the Chung Hyun-Jun and Jin Seung-Hyun Gates was directed by then Seoul District Prosecutor General, Kim Gak-Young (Assistant Prosecutors General of the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office), then third Assistant Prosecutors General Lee Ki-Bae ( current Assistant Prosecutors General of Kwangju High Prosecution), first director of the Special Investigation Lee Seung-Gu (incumbent Assistant Prosecutor General of Seoul Branch Prosecutors Office), and then second director of the Special Investigation Lee Deok-Shin (retired).

The investigation of the Lee Yong-Ho Gate was conducted by the Central Investigation Bureau ( director of the Prosecutor`s Office Yoo Chang-Jong) last year.

Wi-Yong Jung viyonz@donga.com