CIO Indicts Chief Judge Ji Guiyeon Without Detention Over "Room Salon Entertainment" Allegations

Accused of Receiving Hospitality Worth 4.09 Million Won from Lawyers
Bribery Charges Dismissed: "No Evidence of Quid Pro Quo for Trial Favors"

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) has referred Ji Guiyeon, Chief Judge at the Seoul Northern District Court and former presiding judge in the first trial of former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s sedition case, to trial on charges of receiving entertainment in the form of a room salon hospitality, among others.

Ji Kwi-yeon, Chief Judge of the Seoul Northern District Court, who was indicted without detention on charges of violating the Act on the Prohibition of Improper Solicitation and Graft. Photo by Yonhap News

On September 4, the CIO’s Third Division (headed by Chief Prosecutor Lee Daehwan) announced that Judge Ji was indicted without detention on charges of violating the Anti-Graft and Bribery Act. Judge Ji stands accused of accepting entertainment in August 2023 at a reservation-only bar in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, where female employees were present, by having lawyers A and B pay a bill for alcohol totaling approximately 4.09 million won. The CIO determined that the lawyers provided Judge Ji with benefits valued at over 1 million won on a single occasion by covering the bar expenses on his behalf.

During the investigation, the CIO specified that Judge Ji had met with the lawyers at the bar on two separate occasions. Furthermore, the agency clarified that, out of six payments made by Lawyer A at the bar, two matched the movement records of Judge Ji, such as taxi usage, confirming his attendance at those gatherings.

However, the CIO decided not to indict Judge Ji on bribery charges, as it concluded that there was no evidence of a quid pro quo, such as providing trial-related favors. The agency stated, "We closely examined whether there had been any quid pro quo, such as trial-related favors for the lawyers who provided the entertainment, but it was found that at the time, there were no cases handled by Judge Ji’s court division involving these lawyers." Additionally, the CIO dismissed allegations regarding a separate gathering in September 2024, where five people attended and about 4.16 million won was spent, opting not to pursue charges in that case as well.

The CIO also confirmed that, in 2013, while Judge Ji was serving on a civil panel at Suwon District Court, he overturned a lower court’s loss and ruled in favor of Lawyer A in an appellate case. However, it concluded that, given the roughly 10-year gap between the events and the nature of the lawsuit, it is difficult to view the later hospitality as a reward for past judicial work.

On this day, the CIO reported the investigation findings to the court and requested disciplinary action. A CIO official stated, "We will do our utmost to ensure the case is properly prosecuted moving forward."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.