On the 7th, it was confirmed that the Kim Keon-hee special counsel team transferred the suspected leak of investigative information involving former Senior Prosecutor Jeong Yu-mi to the Korean National Police Agency's National Office of Investigation (NOI). While serving as chief of the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office, Jeong is accused of directing the so-called "Myeong Tae-gyun gate" probe, which implicated former President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife, and leaking related information to outside parties.
The special counsel booked Jeong late in 2024 on suspicion of leaking early investigative information to the side of first lady Kim Keon-hee, but is understood to have not conducted even a single suspect questioning. The special counsel then handed the case over to the police on Dec. 28 last year as its mandate expired.
In the December personnel reshuffle last year, Jeong was reassigned from a senior research fellow at the Legal Research and Training Institute, a post equivalent to senior prosecutor, to a high prosecutors' office line prosecutor, and is pursuing a lawsuit against the Ministry of Justice to cancel the personnel action.
Jeong is strongly protesting the special counsel's move. Jeong said, "If there is a suspicion, there should have been an investigation, or the case should have been closed," adding, "It is improper to transfer the case to another agency while keeping me a suspect without a single questioning." Jeong particularly raised suspicion that, ahead of the lawsuit against the Ministry of Justice, the special counsel intentionally transferred the case to the police without closing it.
Earlier, the Ministry of Justice effectively demoted Jeong from chief prosecutor to deputy or division chief-level posts. When Jeong filed suit, the Ministry of Justice submitted an opinion to the court to the effect that "there is no problem with the personnel action because Jeong has been booked as a suspect." Jeong's side argues that despite failing to substantiate the allegations, the special counsel chose transfer over indictment or non-indictment, taking into account the Ministry of Justice's litigation position.