Judge Ji Gwi-yeon of the Seoul Northern District Court will face trial next month on charges of receiving expensive alcohol hospitality from two lawyers.
According to the legal community, Judge Lee Jae-wook of the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 10 will conduct the first preparatory hearing for Ji's case regarding violations of the Anti-Corruption Act on December 2 at 11 a.m.
The preparatory hearing is a procedure to organize issues and evidence plans before the formal trial. The defendant is not required to attend.
Judge Ji is accused of receiving alcohol hospitality worth 1.36 million won at a reservation-only bar in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam, in August 2023. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) has applied the Anti-Corruption Act based on this incident.
The Anti-Corruption Act stipulates that public officials who receive goods or hospitality exceeding 1 million won from the same individual, regardless of job relevance or quid pro quo, are subject to punishment.
However, the CIO concluded that there was no evidence of a quid pro quo between the alcohol gathering and Judge Ji's official duties, thus not applying bribery charges.
The allegations against Judge Ji emerged in May of last year when lawmakers from the Democratic Party claimed he received alcohol hospitality from individuals related to his duties at a bar in Gangnam.
The CIO began its investigation after receiving complaints from civic groups, and approximately 16 months later, in September of this year, Judge Ji was indicted without detention.
Judge Ji's defense stated, "I briefly attended a gathering with my juniors and left shortly after," adding, "Even if we assume the CIO's claims are true and I stayed for the entire gathering, the total amount received from the same individual does not exceed 1 million won."
They argue that since the two lawyers paid for the drinks at different times with their own money, they cannot be considered the 'same individual' under the Anti-Corruption Act.
Judge Ji previously presided over the first trial of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's insurrection case while serving as the presiding judge of the Criminal Division 25 at the Seoul Central District Court. After sentencing Yoon to life imprisonment in February of this year, he transferred to the Seoul Northern District Court during the regular personnel reshuffle that same month.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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