Disciplinary Action Against Prosecutor Lee Jeong-hyun Upheld by Court

On June 1, it was confirmed that the Seoul Administrative Court rejected a request from Prosecutor Lee Jeong-hyun (27th Judicial Research and Training Institute) to suspend the enforcement of a one-month suspension imposed by the Ministry of Justice. Lee, who previously served as the Deputy Chief Prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and led the investigation into the Channel A case in 2020, faced disciplinary action for failing to submit a research paper and not obtaining an extension for the submission deadline.

According to reports, the Administrative Division 2 of the Seoul Administrative Court, presided over by Judge Ko Eun-seol, dismissed Lee's request for a stay of execution on May 30. The court did not provide specific reasons for its decision regarding the claims made by both Lee and the Ministry of Justice. Although the court initially suspended the enforcement of the disciplinary action upon receiving the request, the dismissal of the request reinstated the disciplinary measures against Lee.

The crux of the disciplinary action against Lee revolves around whether he applied for an extension for the submission of his research paper. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office had requested Lee's suspension from the Ministry of Justice last December, stating that he failed to comply with the operational regulations of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, which require the submission of a research paper within one year, and did not seek an extension. The Ministry of Justice officially decided on a one-month suspension for Lee in April.

In response, Lee's legal team argued that the disciplinary action was based solely on a technical violation of not obtaining written approval for an extension, claiming that the extension approval regulation is merely advisory. Both parties engaged in legal arguments during the hearing for the stay of execution on May 20.

Following the court's dismissal of his request, Lee's team filed an immediate appeal. However, according to Article 23 of the Administrative Litigation Act, such an appeal does not have the effect of suspending the enforcement of the disciplinary action. The appeal is expected to be reviewed by the Seoul High Court.

Additionally, Lee's main lawsuit seeking to annul the disciplinary action, filed on May 8, has yet to commence proceedings.