The Justice Ministry says Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl was briefed on the private information of judges, including material that was not disclosed to the public through the media until now. 

The ministry made the argument in a text message sent to reporters on Wednesday to support Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae’s assertion that Yoon carried out illegal surveillance against judges presiding over some high-profile cases. 

On Tuesday, the minister suspended the top prosecutor from his duties citing five cases of “serious misconduct,” including the alleged illegal surveillance that had not been been revealed until now. 

Choo had said that prosecutors drafted a report compiling characteristics of sitting judges in major cases, including ones involving her predecessor Cho Kuk, and reported it to Yoon, who then ordered it to be delivered to the prosecution bureau handling corruption involving public figures. 

The report, the minister had argued, outlined the respective judges’ political stance, family relations, hobbies, general assessment of them, as well as whether they drew public criticism on certain matters. Some media reports, however, cast doubt over the authenticity of the minister’s remarks, arguing that the report contained no information on whether they were subject to public censure.