Chief Judge Ji Gu-yeon (Judicial Research and Training Institute Class 31) of the Seoul Central District Court, who is presiding over the case charging former President Yoon Suk-yeol as the ringleader of insurrection, is set to be referred to the court's Audit Committee over "allegations of being treated to drinks."
The Supreme Court said on the 25th, "We plan to place Chief Judge Ji's case on the Audit Committee's agenda." The aim is to have outside members review whether the Supreme Court's own fact-finding so far has been fair.
The Court Audit Committee is a body that has been operating since 2015 to review the fairness and transparency of the judiciary's internal audit work on major cases, including allegations of judges' misconduct. Of the seven Commissioners on the committee, six—including the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson—are from outside the judiciary.
Earlier, in March, Chief Judge Ji issued a decision canceling the detention of the former president and released him. After that, in May, allegations arose that Chief Judge Ji had been treated to drinks at a room salon, and the Supreme Court's Office of Ethics and Audit launched an investigation.
Specifically, Rep. Kim Yong-min of the Democratic Party of Korea claimed at a full meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee on 4 14 that "Chief Judge Ji drank several times at a room salon where the cost per person runs about 1 million to 2 million won, and we received detailed tips that he never paid." Rep. Kim Ki-pyo of the same party also released two photos, saying they were from "a bar in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, shot in Aug. last year."
On 4 16, the Supreme Court said, "Since the allegations against the judge were raised, we have been verifying the facts based on National Assembly materials, media reports, and more." On the 19th of the same month, ahead of the former president Yoon's trial, Chief Judge Ji denied the allegations, saying, "The claims are not true. I usually spend my time drinking soju-beer mixes with grilled pork belly, and there's no one who buys those for me."
In response, the Democratic Party also released a photo showing Chief Judge Ji sitting side by side with two individuals.
Chief Judge Ji is said to have submitted an explanatory statement saying the photo was taken in the summer of 2023 with two junior legal professionals. It is also reported that he explained he paid for the meal himself, then moved to a bar where the photo was taken, but did not have a drinking session and left after only taking the picture.