Justice Ministry seeks discipline for 2 prosecutors after trial walkout

South Korea's Ministry of Justice has directly requested disciplinary action against two prosecutors following an incident where prosecutors walked out of a trial. The ministry announced on the 14th that its disciplinary committee found misconduct by four prosecutors. Two prosecutors who had already submitted resignations received a warning from the Minister of Justice, considering their status as eligible for dismissal.

The ministry stated that it directly requested disciplinary action for the other two prosecutors on the same day. Disciplinary proceedings according to the prosecution disciplinary law, including review by the Prosecutors Discipline Committee, will proceed for the two prosecutors facing disciplinary charges. The Ministry of Justice plans to instruct the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to prepare measures to prevent recurrence.

Previously, four prosecutors from the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office walked out of the trial preparation hearing for former Gyeonggi Province Peace Vice Governor Lee Hwa-young on November 25th last year. They stated they could not follow the judge's "unfair litigation direction" and all left the courtroom. Most of the prosecution's witness requests had been dismissed.