The Supreme Court has acquitted Lee Seong-yoon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, who was on trial for allegedly covering up an investigation into the illegal travel ban of former Vice Minister Kim Hak-hee.
According to the legal community on the 12th, the Supreme Court Third Division (Chief Justice Lee Heung-gu) upheld the original ruling that found the member not guilty of the charge of interfering with the exercise of rights through abuse of power.
While serving as the head of the Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Division at the Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office in June 2019, this member was indicted in May 2021 for pressuring prosecutors at the Anyang Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office to halt an investigation after they reported additional allegations in the emergency travel ban case involving former Vice Minister Kim.
The first trial court found insufficient evidence to conclude that this member had abused his authority to exert illegal pressure on prosecutors at the Anyang Branch, thus ruling him not guilty.
The second trial also stated, "It is difficult to conclude that the allegations have been proven beyond a reasonable doubt based only on the evidence submitted by the prosecution," and noted, "It is hard to see this member as having directed the halt of the investigation, and there is no factual basis for any actual suspension of the investigation," thereby dismissing the appeal.
On the same day, the Supreme Court stated, "There is no error in that the original judgment misunderstood the law regarding the crime of interfering with the exercise of rights through abuse of power, which affected the ruling."
Earlier, Lee Kyu-won, the strategic committee chair of the Rebuilding Korea Party, and lawmakers Cha Gyu-geun and Lee Kwang-cheol, who were indicted for allegedly obstructing former Vice Minister Kim's attempt to leave the country, were also acquitted by the Supreme Court on the 5th.