Former Vice Minister of Justice Kim Hak-eui, accused of bribery under the Aggravated Punishment Act for certain crimes, is heading to the court of the Seoul High Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of October 28 last year to attend the hearing for the appeals court. yunhap news
– When Kim Hak-eui, former Vice Minister of Justice, recognized that he had entered the departure hall of Incheon International Airport late on March 22, 2019, the information analysis department at Incheon Airport Immigration and Foreigners Agency under the Ministry of Justice skipped the head of the Incheon International Airport Immigration and Foreign Affairs Office, which is a direct supervisor. Testimony came out that he was directed to the Immigration and Foreigner Policy Headquarters of the Ministry of Justice.
The legal world, “an unusual thing”
– In the legal community, it is interpreted that this is an unusual thing that happened because the Incheon International Airport Commissioner recognized the illegality of the measure. At the time, the head of the Immigration Policy Division of the Ministry of Justice also avoided the approval of the emergency departure ban approval request with the fake internal case number. Unlike the recent explanation by the Ministry of Justice that it was “legitimate,” the controversy over whether it was pushing for emergency withdrawal has not subsided even though the Ministry of Justice at the time recognized the illegality.
“Incheon Airport Commissioner was missing one step”
– According to the 106-page public interest report on the 15th, the Incheon International Airport Immigration Information Analysis Department recognized that former Vice Minister Kim had entered the departure hall while monitoring the departure examiner at 10:52 pm on March 22, 2019. Afterwards, it was notified to the Immigration Headquarters of the Ministry of Justice immediately without going through the Incheon International Airport Commissioner. The Immigration Headquarters reported this to the Supreme Prosecutors Office’s past photographic investigation team.
It is said that this reporting process is unusual. At the time, an official who was familiar with the immigration status said, “Incheon Airport Commissioner, who has a higher rank than the immigration officer of the Ministry of Justice, had to deal with the work while discussing with Cha Gyu-geun, the head of the Immigration and Foreigners Policy Division, but he was missing a step in the execution process such as checking immigration records He said, “I heard that the Incheon Airport Commissioner, who knew that there was a problem, instructed me to’go directly to the headquarters.’
Former Vice Minister Kim was investigated for sexual assault charges in two prosecutors’ investigations in 2013 and 2014, but all of them were dismissed. In March 2019, a re-investigation began with the formation of a fact-finding team. However, at the time former Vice Minister Kim attempted to leave the country, he was not a suspect who was enlisted in a formal investigation. Therefore, the public interest reporter insisted that it is illegal civilian inspections for the Ministry of Justice staff to check the entry and exit records of former Vice Minister Kim, who is a civilian status.
An official in the legal profession interpreted, “Because he was a public official who had been in charge of immigration for a long time, there is a high possibility that he knew that the measures were illegal at the time,” and “so he would not want to intervene.”
In response to the reporters’ inquiries about the truthfulness of the allegations, the head of the headquarters replied, “Please understand that daily work does not respond.” The Incheon International Airport Commissioner also did not respond to the reporters’ phone calls and text messages.
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Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 Departure Hall. yunhap news
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The head of the immigration policy also avoided the approval of the post approval request
– It was also revealed that the head of the Immigration Policy Director of the Ministry of Justice at the time avoided the approval in the post-approval process for emergency withdrawals. The manager skipped and only the senior manager, Cha, approved the emergency withdrawal approval request. According to the approval regulations within the Ministry of Justice, unlike normal business, important matters must be approved by the head and head of the headquarters.
Two days after the head of the headquarters of Cha approved the emergency withdrawal of former Vice Minister Kim, the immigration headquarters also prepared a defensive report examining whether it was illegal. At that time, an employee of the immigration department left an opinion in a report titled’Report on Emergency Withdrawal of Former Vice Minister Kim’, saying, “The fact-finding investigation team is difficult to see as a formal investigation agency, so it is impossible to withdraw money under the name of the fact-finding team alone.”
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Cha Gyu-geun, head of the Immigration and Foreigners Policy Headquarters of the Ministry of Justice, is making a remark on’Shorting the effect of short-term visas, the visa waiver agreement, and the enforcement of temporary suspension of visa-free entry’ at a high prosecutor in Seocho-gu, Seoul on April 9 last year. yunhap news
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Before urgent withdrawal request… Ministry of Justice staff, reported to the media
– The Ministry of Justice received an emergency withdrawal request in the name of Prosecutor Lee Gyu-won, who was a member of the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office at the time, at 0:08 on the 23rd, about an hour after former Vice Minister Kim entered the departure hall. However, in the CCTV video of Incheon Airport, which was released through some media, at 11:39 pm on the 22nd, about 30 minutes ago, four employees of the Ministry of Justice visited former Vice Minister Kim. This means that the Ministry of Justice moved before the emergency withdrawal request arrived.
At the time, before the prosecutor accepted the emergency withdrawal request, some media reported on the withdrawal of former Vice Minister Kim. The first report began around 11:36 pm on the 22nd. This is the point before 0:10 am on the 23rd, when former Vice Minister Kim’s departure was blocked.
The controversy is growing, but the Ministry of Justice is silent after clarifying the allegations against Kim’s illegal departure and saying that it was a “legitimate measure” on the 12th. The Ministry of Justice said, “Because this prosecutor corresponds to an investigative agency ordered by the Dongbu District Prosecutor’s Office, he had the authority to grant internal investigation and internal investigation number, and request an emergency ban on departure.” “Former Vice Minister Kim, who was under serious charges at the time, fled overseas late at night. There was a need to consider the urgent and inevitable circumstances that were put in front of them.”
Reporter Kang Kwangwoo [email protected]
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