Jeong Gyeong-sim, wife of Justice Minister Cho Kuk and a professor at Dongyang University, was summoned privately for the fifth time by the prosecution on the 14th for investigation. The photo was taken at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the same day. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@
[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] The prosecution investigating allegations of Blue House’s ordered investigations and election interference has simultaneously indicted 13 individuals involved in the case, including Song Cheol-ho, Mayor of Ulsan, and Song Byung-gi, Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs of Ulsan.
The Public Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Tae-eun) announced on the 29th that it has indicted Mayor Song, former Deputy Mayor Song, former Ulsan Police Chief Hwang Un-ha, former Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs Baek Won-woo, former Anti-Corruption Secretary Park Hyung-chul, former Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Han Byung-do, and 7 others on charges including violations of the Public Official Election Act. Former Senior Administrative Officer Jang Hwan-seok of the Balanced Development Secretariat, former Administrative Officer Moon, and Ulsan City Political Affairs Special Advisor Jeong were also brought to trial together.
The prosecution stated that, besides those indicted without detention on this day, it plans to sequentially complete investigations of the remaining related parties.
Most of those indicted were charged with violations of the Public Official Election Act. The prosecution determined that Mayor Song requested then-Ulsan Police Chief Hwang in September 2017 to investigate former Ulsan Mayor Kim Gi-hyeon, and that former Deputy Mayor Song passed misconduct information related to former Mayor Kim to Administrative Officer Moon. Mayor Song and Deputy Mayor Song are also accused of asking former Senior Administrative Officer Jang in October of the same year to delay the announcement of the preliminary feasibility study for the 'Industrial Accident Memorial Hospital,' a key campaign pledge of former Mayor Kim. Former Senior Administrative Officer Jang accepted this request and provided internal information related to the Industrial Accident Memorial Hospital, which the prosecution considers a violation of the Public Official Election Act.
Former Police Chief Hwang is charged with abuse of authority and obstruction of official duties for influencing the election through so-called 'ordered investigations' and unfairly disciplining police officers who did not actively pursue investigations around former Mayor Kim.
Former Senior Secretary Han is accused of urging Im Dong-ho, a former Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party and a competitor in Mayor Song’s party primary in February 2018, to withdraw from the primary and offering a public office position in return. Im, the former Secretary-General scheduled for prosecution on the 30th, is also suspected of being involved in this allegation.
The prosecution also uncovered that from August 2017 to April 2018, Mayor Song’s campaign received internal Ulsan City Hall documents via email and mail, which were used to formulate election pledges and prepare TV debate materials. Deputy Mayor Song, Kim, and two other Ulsan city officials were charged with violating the Public Official Election Act. Ulsan City Political Affairs Special Advisor Jeong was indicted without detention on charges of obstructing official duties by leaking interview questions for public servant recruitment after the 2018 local elections.
The investigation team reportedly reported to Lee Sung-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, on the 28th regarding the judicial disposition direction for the suspects involved in this case and proposed various options concerning detailed dispositions for each suspect. Initially, options such as deferring indictment until after in-person investigations for suspects not yet interviewed and indicting all related parties without further investigation based on already secured evidence were considered. However, the prosecution ultimately decided to proceed with indicting all related parties simultaneously.
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