Judge Ji Gui-yeon’s ‘Alcohol Entertainment Allegation’ Case to Be Heard by Fellow Judicial Training Institute Classmate

[Financial News] The case involving Ji Gui-yeon, a chief judge at the Seoul Northern District Court who was indicted for allegedly receiving alcohol entertainment at a high-end adult entertainment establishment, has been assigned to the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 4 single-judge panel.
According to legal sources on the 8th, Chief Judge Park Kang Kyun of the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 4 will hear the case against Chief Judge Ji, who was indicted without detention on charges of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.
Chief Judge Ji is accused of having two lawyers pay approximately 4.09 million won for drinks at a bar in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, in August 2023.
Chief Judge Park previously acquitted former Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Noh Woong-rae in the first trial of a bribery case.
He is currently handling a case involving allegations that Prosecutor Lee Jung-seop received entertainment from large corporations, as well as a defamation case involving professional basketball player Heo Ung’s former girlfriend.
Some observers have suggested that the case could be reassigned to another panel.
The defendant, Chief Judge Ji, and the presiding judge, Chief Judge Park, were classmates in the 31st class at the Judicial Research and Training Institute. As a result, Chief Judge Park could recuse himself or request that the case be reassigned.
Although being classmates at the institute is not legally grounds for disqualification, a judge may recuse himself if he determines that it would be difficult to conduct a fair trial.
If Chief Judge Park requests recusal or reassignment, the case will be randomly assigned to another panel.
In fact, during last year’s appellate trial in the Daejang-dong development case, a panel member requested reassignment because he was a classmate at the institute of defendant Nam Wook’s attorney, and another panel subsequently took over the case.
[email protected] Ahn Ga-eul Reporter