Justice Ministry disciplines two prosecutors over evidence mishandling and exam leak

The Ministry of Justice has disciplined two prosecutors over separate incidents involving alleged misconduct. Prosecutor Choi Jae-hyun received a one-month suspension for his role in the mishandling and potential loss of evidence related to cash bundles, while Prosecutor Ahn Mi-hyun was disciplined for leaking exam questions during a law school lecture.

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The Ministry of Justice decided to impose a one-month suspension on Prosecutor Choi Jae-hyun regarding the suspicion of discarding and losing the bands of the cash bundles.

Choi Jae-hyun, who was investigated by a special prosecutor team regarding the "Geonjin Beopsa" case, failed to properly document cash bundles secured during a search in December 2024. The evidence, consisting of cash wrapped in bank packaging and secured with Shinhan Bank bands, was allegedly damaged or discarded without being accurately recorded in the seizure list. Furthermore, Choi reportedly knew about the damage or disposal of the evidence in January 2025 but did not report it to his superiors.

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During the investigation of Jeon Seong-bae of Geonjin Beopsa in December 2024, he obtained cash bundled with bank packaging and Shinhan Bank bands, but failed to specifically list the contents in the seizure list, leading to the damage and disposal of the packaging and bands.

The Ministry of Justice determined that Choi violated his official duties. The special prosecutor team had previously investigated Choi but concluded that his actions were more of an occupational error than a criminal offense, transferring the case to prosecutors. However, they recommended disciplinary action for the improper handling of seized items and delayed reporting.

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He also failed to report the fact that the cash bands were damaged or discarded to his department head or others, even after becoming aware of it on January 9, 2025.

Separately, Ahn Mi-hyun received a one-month suspension for exposing parts of a final exam for the 'Criminal Procedure Practice 1' course at Hanyang University Law School in November 2025. The exam questions were displayed on a screen during a lecture, raising concerns about fairness and ultimately leading to a retake of the exam on December 13. The Ministry of Justice deemed Ahn's actions as a violation of her professional duties.

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The Ministry of Justice also imposed a one-month suspension on Prosecutor Ahn Mi-hyun for leaking some of the exam questions during a law school class.