Ex-prosecutor Lee Jung-hyun loses lawsuit against disciplinary action

Lee Jung-hyun, a former prosecutor who led the investigation into the alleged coercion of a Channel A reporter, has lost his administrative lawsuit challenging a disciplinary measure imposed by the Ministry of Justice. The Seoul Administrative Court ruled on May 20th that the disciplinary action against Lee, who is currently the prosecutor of Suwon High Prosecutors' Office, was lawful, ordering him to bear the litigation costs.

The disciplinary action, a one-month suspension, was initiated by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in December 2024 for violating his duty of diligence. Specifically, Lee failed to submit his research paper within the stipulated period and did not obtain an extension from the head of the Judicial Research and Training Institute. Lee's request for a stay of execution of the disciplinary measure was also rejected in both the first and second instances.

“

The regulations state that the research period for a project is one year from the date the project is assigned, and it can be extended for no more than two months with the approval of the head of the Judicial Research and Training Institute.

The court found that the grounds for Lee's discipline were valid, determining that his failure to comply with the regulations of the Judicial Research and Training Institute constituted a breach of his official duties. The regulations stipulate that research projects have a one-year duration, extendable by no more than two months with the institute head's approval. The court noted that Lee, despite serving as a research fellow for over two years, failed to submit any research results or progress reports despite multiple requests from the institute. This conduct was deemed to have damaged public trust in the prosecution service and harmed the dignity of prosecutors.

“

Even if the regulation does not have external binding power as an administrative rule, it has effect within the administrative organization, so the plaintiff (Lee) has a duty to comply with this regulation unless there are special circumstances.

Furthermore, the court concluded that a one-month suspension was not an excessive penalty, considering the higher standards of morality and responsibility expected of prosecutors compared to general public officials.

Lee Jung-hyun had previously been at the center of a dispute with then-Prosecutor General Yoon Suk-yeol in 2020 while serving as the first deputy chief prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. His investigation into the alleged "media-prosecutor collusion" involving Channel A reporters and then-prosecutor Han Dong-hoon led to friction with Yoon. Lee was promoted to prosecutor-general during the Moon Jae-in administration and served as head of the Public Security Division. However, shortly after the Yoon Suk-yeol administration took office in May 2022, he was reassigned to a less influential position as a research fellow at the Judicial Research and Training Institute. He remained in that post until November of last year, when he was moved to the Suwon High Prosecutors' Office under the Lee Jae-myung administration.

“

The plaintiff's actions constitute an act that damages public trust in the prosecution service and harms the dignity of prosecutors.