Prosecutors moved to detain Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent Lee Jeong-seon, who is suspected of exerting improper influence over personnel matters.
According to legal sources on the 10th, the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office's Anti-Corruption and Violent Crimes Department (chief prosecutor Kim Jin-yong) sought a pretrial detention warrant for Superintendent Lee, who was booked on charges including abuse of authority to interfere with the exercise of rights.
Lee is accused of intervening in 2022 in the hiring process for the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education Inspector General so that a specific candidate, a high school classmate, would be selected as the final pick.
A Deputy Director (Head of Team level) who handled the working-level process for hiring the Inspector General at the metropolitan office at the time was sentenced at first instance to one year and six months in prison on charges including obstruction of the performance of official duties by fraudulent means for asking evaluation committee members to revise scores.
Earlier in Mar., prosecutors launched a compulsory investigation into the case by raiding the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education. Lee was also recently summoned as a suspect and questioned, according to reports.
However, Lee's side says prosecutors belatedly began an unlawful investigation into a case that police closed last September with a decision not to refer the case (no suspicion).
In response, prosecutors said the investigation is proceeding in accordance with due process. A pretrial detention hearing for Lee is scheduled to be held on the morning of the 11th at the Gwangju District Court.