S. Korea’s Courts Advised to Shut Down for 3 Weeks amid Surging COVID-19 Cases
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A notice for visitors of facility closure is placed on the entrance of Seoul Dongbu Detention Center in Seoul on Dec. 21, 2020. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 21 (Korea Bizwire) The National Court Administration on Monday advised courts nationwide to shut down for three weeks to slow down the rapid spread of the coronavirus.
“We advise judges to actively consider being flexible in delaying and rescheduling hearings and sentencing dates for three weeks starting Dec. 22,” Kim In-kyeom, head of the pandemic response team of the agency, wrote on the judiciary’s internal bulletin board.
Top prosecutor vows to take legal action for “illegal and unfair” suspension
Dec 17, 2020, 09:30 am
Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl heads the Supreme Prosecutors Office in Seoul on Dec. 16, 2020./ Source: Yonhap
AsiaToday reporter Lee Wook-jae
A justice ministry panel voted Wednesday to suspend Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl from duty for two months. Yoon called the unprecedented decision “illegal and unfair” and vowed to take legal action.
The Justice Ministry’s disciplinary committee ordered a two-month suspension against Yoon following a 17-and-a-half-hour deliberation, accepting four of six allegations levied against him.
As the top prosecutor announced to take legal steps, Cho Nam-kwan, the assistant prosecutor general, is expected to take over Yoon’s duty as acting prosecutor general until the result of the lawsuit comes out.
(2nd LD) Moon approves ministry’s decision on punishing top prosecutor: Cheong Wa Dae December 16, 2020
President Moon Jae-in has approved the justice ministry’s decision to suspend South Korea’s top prosecutor from duty for two months, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday.
The measure against Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl over multiple charges of ethical and legal misdeeds came after the ministry’s disciplinary committee voted to punish him in a marathon session that ended early Wednesday morning.
President Moon approved the decision at 6:30 p.m. after Choo visited his office at 5 p.m. for a related briefing to the president, according to Chung Man-ho, senior presidential secretary for public communication. The measure immediately went into effect.