The Ministry of Justice stated on the 3rd that it reported to the police the former presidential office official who brought in a mobile phone without the consent of the warden during former President Yoon Suk-yeol's detention.
The Ministry of Justice noted that on this day, "In February, it was detected that a former presidential office official brought in an electronic communication device (mobile phone) into the security zone of a correctional facility without the warden's permission, and today (the 3rd), the official was reported to the Southern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency for violating the Act on the Execution of Sentences and Treatment of Prisoners (Prohibited Items)."
Previously, the Ministry of Justice was reported to have investigated allegations that former President Yoon was secretly given a mobile phone by Kang Ui-kyu, the former head of the presidential office, during a meeting at the detention center earlier this year.
Former President Yoon was arrested on charges of being a leader of a rebellion on January 19 and was detained at Seoul Detention Center, but he was released on March 8 after a court decision to withdraw his detention. Subsequently, the court accepted a detention warrant from the special prosecutor for the rebellion, and he was re-arrested and confined at Seoul Detention Center on July 10 on charges including abuse of power.
However, allegations have been raised by the ruling party, including the Democratic Party of Korea, that former President Yoon is receiving special treatment at the Seoul Detention Center.
In response, Minister Jeong instructed a fact-finding investigation related to allegations of preferential treatment during the first detention period of former President Yoon (January 15 to March 8) shortly after taking office in July. The Ministry of Justice formed a separate inspection team from the corrections headquarters at the end of July to analyze the allegations raised and began field investigations, data comparisons, and gathering statements from related parties starting in August.
The Ministry of Justice stated, "As a result of the investigation, some issues were identified in the management of detention, such as attorney visits and the entry of external personnel's belongings into the security zone," adding, "It was confirmed that there were inappropriate practices, such as excessively long visits compared to other detainees during weekends, holidays, and after business hours on weekdays."
Earlier, the Democratic Party of Korea's Special Committee for Comprehensive Response to the Three Major Special Prosecutors claimed on the 1st of last month that "the total time former President Yoon met with his attorneys during his entire detention was 395 hours and 18 minutes, with the number of attendees reaching 348." In response to this, the Ministry of Justice also suspended the provision of a solitary attorney meeting room to former President Yoon.
The Ministry of Justice stated, "Minister Jeong ordered a disciplinary investigation into some inappropriate facts revealed by the fact-finding investigation and instructed that related regulations and systems be improved to establish a strict order of detention in accordance with the law and principles."