The Justice Ministry has indefinitely postponed the disciplinary review for prosecutors involved in the mass walkout during the trial of former Gyeonggi Province Peace Vice Governor Lee Hwa-young.
On September 16, legal sources reported that the ministry informed former Suwon District Prosecutors' Office chief prosecutors Kim Hyun-woo and Seo Hyun-wook of the delay in the disciplinary committee's review.
The committee was originally scheduled to hear from the two prosecutors regarding their request to disqualify the trial judges and the circumstances surrounding their claims of unfair trial management.
The incident occurred on November 25, 2025, during a pre-trial hearing at the Suwon District Court, when four prosecutors walked out of the courtroom after submitting a disqualification request, citing the rejection of numerous witness requests as evidence of unfair trial management.
Following the incident, President Lee Jae-myung expressed regret over the disruption of court order and directed a thorough investigation.
The Supreme Prosecutors' Office's inspection committee determined in April that disciplinary action was not feasible due to violations of reporting obligations. However, the Justice Ministry concluded through a separate investigation that the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office leadership had directed the prosecutors to file the disqualification request and not cooperate with the trial, violating prior reporting obligations.
At that time, Justice Minister Jeong Seong-ho also requested the lowest level of disciplinary action, a reprimand, against the two chief prosecutors. Kim Hyun-a, the first deputy chief prosecutor, and Lee Seong-beom, the second deputy chief prosecutor, who had already submitted their resignations, received only a warning.
Seo, the subject of the disciplinary review, recently expressed his intention to appear before the committee to contest the allegations. He also voiced strong dissatisfaction on the prosecutors' internal network, stating, "I was only presenting my opinion, yet I became a subject of disciplinary action."
The prosecutor disciplinary committee consists of nine members, including the Justice Minister, the Vice Minister, two prosecutors, and five civilian members, and decisions are made by a majority vote of the attending members. If a reprimand is confirmed, it will be enforced by the head of the respective prosecutors' office.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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