The head of a new probe team tasked with reinvestigating sex and bribery allegations against a former vice justice minister promised Monday that his team will work the case "by the book" to get to the bottom of it.

"We'll investigate the case by the book so that there'll be no more misunderstandings," Yeo Hwan-seop, the chief of the Cheongju District Prosecutors' Office, told reporters. 

Yeo was appointed by the Ministry of Justice last Friday to lead a team with 12 other senior prosecutors to reinvestigate Kim Hak-ui, the disgraced ex-vice minister, over allegations he received sexual services and bribes from a local developer in exchange for business and other favors.

Yeo's team will also dig into suspicions that the prosecution tried to tone down the investigation and eventually cleared Kim of the charges in two separate probes, in 2013 and 2014, possibly because someone from the presidential office at the time pressured them to close the case quickly.

"We are reviewing all previous documents at this stage. As to what extent or whom the investigation will pursue will be decided after we're done reviewing the papers," Yeo added.

The special probe team was launched after the justice ministry's review panel recommended late last month the reopening of the case implicating Kim and possibly other ranking public officials from the previous Park Geun-hye government. (Yonhap)