Lee Seong-yoon Acquitted in Kim Hak-eui Case

Lee Seong-yoon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, has been acquitted by the Supreme Court regarding allegations that he obstructed an investigation into the illegal departure of former Justice Ministry official Kim Hak-eui. On June 12, the Supreme Court's third division, led by Justice Lee Heung-gu, confirmed the lower court's ruling, stating that there was no misinterpretation of law that would have affected the verdict. Following the announcement, Lee expressed gratitude for the court's wise decision and vowed to push for significant reforms within the prosecution system.

The case revolves around Kim Hak-eui, who attempted an emergency departure in March 2019 amid allegations of sexual bribery. At the time, Lee was serving as the head of the Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Investigation Department and was accused of exerting pressure on the Anyang District Prosecutor's Office to halt the investigation into Kim's case.

Specifically, Lee was alleged to have obstructed the investigation into former prosecutor Lee Gyu-won, who was involved in Kim's illegal departure, and directed the cessation of inquiries into the misconduct of immigration officials. He was also accused of preventing the investigative team from reporting Lee Gyu-won's misconduct to the Prosecutor General.

Both the first and second trials found Lee not guilty. The first trial court acknowledged suspicions that Lee may have exerted unlawful pressure on prosecutors but concluded that there was insufficient evidence to definitively prove such actions. The second trial court similarly ruled that the necessity or appropriateness of Lee's actions at the time could not be dismissed.

Additionally, on June 5, the Supreme Court also confirmed the acquittals of Lee Gyu-won, former Blue House Civil Affairs Secretary Lee Kwang-cheol, and former Justice Ministry Immigration Policy Director Cha Gyu-geun, who were involved in the illegal departure order. They were indicted in April 2021 for abuse of power, but the courts determined that while the emergency departure order was illegal, the circumstances at the time did not warrant criminal charges for abuse of power.