On Monday, amid allegations of witness coercion during the investigation into the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case, attorney Seo Min-seok, representing Lee Hwa-young, the former Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province for Peace, submitted a recording of a conversation with the investigating prosecutor to the prosecution.
The Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office, which is examining whether there was any undue pressure during the investigation, is expected to accelerate its final review by analyzing the recordings. However, the allegations of witness coercion will be handled separately by the second comprehensive special investigation team led by Special Prosecutor Kwon Chang-young, suggesting a two-track approach to oversight and investigation.
On Monday morning, attorney Seo appeared before the Human Rights Violation Inspection Task Force (TF) at the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office. He submitted the recording of his conversation with Park Sang-yong, the Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Incheon District Prosecutors’ Office, who was part of the investigation team. The call reportedly took place around May or June 2023.
The recordings, which were made public around the time of last week’s parliamentary investigation, allegedly include statements from Prosecutor Park to Seo, such as that the accomplice will be linked with Lee Jae Myung, and Lee needs to fully confess to being the mastermind while this person becomes an accessory.
This has led members of the ruling party to suspect that the prosecution had predetermined conclusions targeting Lee Jae-myung, then the leader of the Democratic Party, and may have coerced witnesses accordingly.
In response, Prosecutor Park, who was involved in the call, denied any coercion. He countered that it was Seo who first suggested that the former vice governor could be classified as an accessory to the crime.
As both sides present conflicting accounts, the recording will now be scrutinized by the prosecution to determine whether any coercion or improper actions occurred during the investigation. There is significant interest in what conclusions the seven-month oversight will yield.
The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office has been investigating related allegations since September of last year through a task force at the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office. As the task force prepares to announce its findings, it is also considering summoning Prosecutor Park again to clarify his final position on the raised allegations.
Separately from the oversight, the comprehensive special investigation team is focusing on the allegations that the investigation team, including the former vice governor, coerced individuals related to the North Korea remittance case. They are particularly interested in identifying any potential orchestrators behind these actions.
On April 3, the special investigation team issued a public statement requesting the transfer of the witness coercion allegations case from the task force to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office. They cited Article 2, Section 1, Item 13 of the Special Investigation Act as the basis for their request.
Article 2 of the Special Investigation Act outlines the subjects of investigation. Item 13 specifically refers to cases where former President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee allegedly received reports about their own cases as well as others, and potentially abused their investigative authority through concealment, suppression, or coercion during the investigation process.
Based on this, the special investigation team appears to suspect that former President Yoon or First Lady Kim may have directed or facilitated the coercion of the former vice governor, a key figure in the North Korea remittance case, after being briefed on the investigation’s progress.
The recording submitted to the task force is expected to be forwarded to the comprehensive special investigation team soon. However, discussions are ongoing regarding the method of transfer – whether the task force will deliver it directly or if the special investigation team will receive it through a separate voluntary submission with cooperation from Seo’s attorney.
A task force official stated that while verifying the truth of these allegations is crucial for them, the content is also necessary for the special investigation. The official added that it will ensure that the method used does not raise issues related to illegally obtained evidence.