An incumbent judge was caught by the police while engaging in prostitution in broad daylight on weekdays.
The Seoul Suseo Police Station announced on the 29th안전놀이터that it had sent Mr. Lee (42), an incumbent judge at a local court, to the prosecution without detention on charges of prostitution.
According to the police, Judge Lee is accused of prostitution (violation of the Sex Trafficking Punishment Act) by paying 150,000 won to Mr. After catching Mr. A in a hotel room at around 6 pm on the same day, the police identified the identity of the judge who had left the hotel. Judge Lee is known to have stated to the police that he was on a business trip to Seoul.
In August 2016, an incumbent chief judge was caught doing prostitution. At the time, a chief judge in his 40s belonging to the Court Administration Office was caught by the police while engaging in prostitution in an officetel in Gangnam-gu, and was punished by the Supreme Court for a three-month pay cut. The status of judges is guaranteed by the Constitution, so they cannot be removed from office unless they are impeached or sentenced to imprisonment or a higher sentence. His highest level of discipline is also one year of suspension.
Yonhap News reported on the same day that, as a result of an inquiry to the Supreme Court on whether or not the disciplinary action against Judge Lee was initiated, it said, “We cannot confirm anything other than the contents of the official gazette regarding the disciplinary action of the judge.” The Disciplinary Act for Judges stipulates that when the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court takes a disciplinary action against a judge for damage to dignity, etc., it must be published in the Official Gazette.