The Ministry of Justice's disciplinary committee will meet this week to discuss the case of Park Sang-yong, a deputy chief prosecutor at the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, who faces disciplinary action for inappropriate conduct during the investigation into the North Korea remittance case. Additional issues, including a Facebook post made during work hours and failure to report his attendance at a People Power Party hearing in writing, are also under consideration.
Park stated that he was notified of the committee's meeting just three days prior and plans to request a postponement of the hearing date.
According to legal sources on August 10, the Ministry of Justice is set to hold the disciplinary committee on August 13 to review the allegations against Park. The review will include issues raised during the North Korea remittance investigation, as well as the Facebook post and the attendance at the People Power Party hearing.
Park claimed he only received notice from the Ministry of Justice to appear by 2 p.m. on August 13 after media reports surfaced. He argued that preparing a statement within three days would be difficult, prompting his request for a delay.
He criticized the short notice, saying, "If it were just a reprimand, it could be communicated three days in advance, but it seems they are considering dismissal or termination, which is hard to accept with such short notice. This is a hasty process." However, it remains unconfirmed whether the Ministry of Justice is indeed considering dismissal or termination based on Park's claims.
Earlier, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office requested a two-month suspension for Park on May 12, citing his inappropriate demands for confessions from the attorney representing Lee Hwa-young, the former deputy governor of Gyeonggi Province, during the North Korea remittance investigation. He was also criticized for providing external food and visitation conveniences to suspects and failing to prepare a verification report during the investigation.
In contrast, allegations raised by the Democratic Party and Lee's side regarding witness coercion through a so-called "salmon drinking party" were excluded from the disciplinary reasons.
Lee claimed in May 2023 that he was coerced into admitting President Lee Jae-myung's involvement in the case while being provided with food and drinks by former Ssangyong Chairman Kim Sung-tae and others at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office. The Ministry of Justice confirmed last September that there were indications of food and drink being brought into the prosecutor's office and directed the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to conduct an investigation.
The Seoul High Prosecutors' Office's Human Rights Violation Task Force concluded an eight-month investigation and determined that food and drink had indeed been brought in. However, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office chose not to include the "salmon drinking party" allegations in the disciplinary reasons, respecting the disciplinary committee's decision. They also did not pursue disciplinary action for failing to prevent the unauthorized entry and provision of food and drink or for unnecessarily summoning witnesses multiple times.
Separately, the Ministry of Justice directed additional investigations in April regarding Park's attendance at the People Power Party hearing.
On April 3, Park was expelled from a National Assembly investigation meeting after refusing to take an oath as a witness. He later attended a hearing held by the People Power Party's special committee on the investigation of alleged manipulation of charges by the Democratic Party on April 7, where he refuted the allegations.
The Incheon District Prosecutors' Office summoned Park for questioning on July 13 and concluded its investigation by the end of that month. Based on this, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office recently requested additional disciplinary action against him.
The additional grounds for discipline include Park's Facebook post during work hours and his verbal report to superiors regarding his attendance at the People Power Party hearing, without written notification. Within the prosecution, there are speculations that these issues alone may warrant a minor disciplinary action such as a reprimand.
Park's suspension from duty remains in effect. The Ministry of Justice suspended his duties on April 6 and extended the suspension period until further notice at the end of May.
The disciplinary committee serves as an advisory body that reviews significant disciplinary cases involving prosecutors and recommends necessary actions to the Minister of Justice. Unlike the prosecutor's disciplinary committee, there are no specific procedural regulations requiring notification of the meeting or attendance to the subject.
The Ministry of Justice plans to proceed with the prosecutor's disciplinary committee process based on the results of the disciplinary committee's review. Disciplinary actions against prosecutors can range from dismissal and termination to suspension, demotion, and reprimand, with the final level of discipline determined by the prosecutor's disciplinary committee.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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