Injunction hearing opens over decision to suspend top prosecutor from duty

An injunction hearing will take place Monday to deliberate on the suspension of duty for the nation's chief prosecutor over a series of allegations.

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae on Tuesday suspended Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl from duty, as she sought a disciplinary measure against him over six counts of alleged misdeeds, including collecting personal information of justices in charge of cases related to a former justice minister and suspected election interference by presidential officials.

Yoon sought a court injunction Wednesday to stop the unprecedented order from going into effect, before he filed a lawsuit at the Seoul Administrative Court the next day.

The court will open the hearing at 11:00 a.m. and deliberate on whether the suspension caused irreversible damage and the ministry's decision followed a due legal process. The hearing will be attended by the legal representatives of both parties.

If the court decides to grant an injunction, Yoon will get back to his work immediately. Whatever the outcome, the decision is expected to be made within the day or by Tuesday morning at the latest, given the seriousness of the case, according to the ministry.

Meanwhile, the ministry will convene a seven-member committee Wednesday to decide the level of disciplinary action against Yoon and that it asked Yoon or his lawyer to attend the meeting. (Yonhap)