Seoul: Anti-corruption investigators have indicted Judge Jee Kui-youn, known for sentencing former President Yoon Suk Yeol to life in prison, over allegations of corruption related to an expensive bar visit in 2023.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Judge Jee is facing charges of violating the anti-graft law, which restricts public officials from receiving gifts or services exceeding 1 million won from a single source. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) alleges that Jee had two lawyers pay for services amounting to 4.09 million won (US$3,000) in Seoul's Cheongdam neighborhood in August 2023.

The CIO investigated whether the payments were made in exchange for courtroom favors but did not press bribery charges, noting that Jee's court did not handle the lawyers' cases. Another incident in September 2024, where services worth 4.16 million won were received, was not pursued further as it did not meet the threshold for the anti-graft law.

Jee's legal team has criticized the indictment, arguing that the judge's brief stay at the bar did not breach the legal limit. The defense further contended that the payments made by the two lawyers at different times should not be considered cumulatively.

This case gained significant attention when the allegations emerged in May 2025, primarily due to Jee's role in Yoon's insurrection trial concerning a failed martial law attempt in 2024. Yoon was sentenced to life imprisonment in February, and the case is currently under appeal.