One-Month Salary Reduction for Prosecutors in 'Cash Band Loss' and 'Law School Exam Leak' Cases

Ministry of Justice Finds Prosecutor in Violation of Professional Duties

Jae Hyun Choi, Prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (39th class of Judicial Research and Training Institute), who triggered suspicions over the loss of "sealed cash band wrappers," has been given a pay reduction as disciplinary action.

Jae Hyun Choi, Prosecutor at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. Photo by Yonhap News.

On June 30, the Ministry of Justice announced through the official gazette that the previous day, Prosecutor Choi received a disciplinary penalty of a one-month pay reduction for violating duties in the course of work. There are five types of disciplinary actions for prosecutors: dismissal, removal, suspension, pay reduction, and reprimand. Ordinarily, suspension or higher is classified as a severe disciplinary measure.

On December 17, 2024, Prosecutor Choi, during the investigation of Jeon Seong-bae (known as "Geonjin Bopsa"), obtained cash wrapped in sealed plastic and bundled with Shinhan Bank bands. However, he failed to record these details specifically in the seizure list, resulting in the packaging and band wrappers being damaged or discarded. It was also confirmed that on January 9 of the following year, even after learning about the damage and disposal of the sealed packaging and band wrappers, he did not report the situation to department supervisors or other responsible officials.

Previously, he appeared before the permanent special prosecutor team led by Kwonsub Ahn and was investigated as a suspect, but was not indicted. The special prosecutor team concluded that while Choi's actions amounted to negligence in the course of work, they did not constitute grounds for criminal prosecution. However, regarding the poor management of seized evidence and delayed reporting, the team requested disciplinary action from the Ministry of Justice.

The Ministry of Justice also imposed a one-month pay reduction as disciplinary action on Mihyun Ahn, Deputy Chief Prosecutor at the Cheonan Branch of the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office (41st class), for leaking part of an exam question during a law school (law school) class. On November 20, 2025, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Ahn, during a lecture for the "Prosecutorial Practice 1" course at Hanyang University Law School, was found to have exposed materials in which the names of certain offenses discussed in the final exam preparation were highlighted.

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