Key facts
- Judge Jee Kui-youn has been indicted for violating South Korea's anti-graft law.
- The charges relate to allegedly receiving services worth 4.09 million won (US$3,000) at a bar in August 2023.
- The services were allegedly paid for by two lawyers.
- The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) investigated but did not press bribery charges.
- Jee presided over the trial that sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to life imprisonment.
SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean judge, known for sentencing former President Yoon Suk Yeol to life in prison, has been indicted on corruption charges. Judge Jee Kui-youn faces allegations of violating the anti-graft law for allegedly receiving services worth 4.09 million won (US$3,000) at a bar in Seoul's Cheongdam neighborhood in August 2023, paid for by two lawyers.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) investigated the case but decided not to press bribery charges, determining that Jee's court bench did not handle the lawyers' cases at the time. The CIO also identified another instance in September 2024 where Jee was treated at the same bar, but the services for five people did not meet the anti-graft law's threshold of 1 million won per instance.
The case gained significant attention due to Jee's role as the presiding judge in Yoon's insurrection trial. In February, Yoon was sentenced to life imprisonment for leading an insurrection through his martial law declaration, a decision currently under appeal.