Investigation into the Closure of Wolseong Unit 1 to Be Handled by Yoon Seok-yeol's Team

Autumn-Yoon Tiki-Taka, This Time It's Yoon's Turn

One Member of the National Intelligence Service Presidential Election Interference Investigation Team
Led by Chief Prosecutor Lee Sang-hyun
Likely Assigned to Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office Criminal Division 5

Investigation of Ulsan Mayor Election Until Early This Year
Possibility of High-Intensity Investigation Against the Ruling Party

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl (right)
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The investigation into the 'early shutdown of Wolseong Unit 1' is expected to be handled by the 'Yoon Seok-yeol faction.' The head of the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office, where this case was received, is Chief Prosecutor Lee Doo-bong, one of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's close aides. Although the person responsible for the investigation has not yet been decided, it is highly likely that it will be assigned to a chief prosecutor trusted by Yoon. Facing resignation pressure from the ruling party, Yoon is now set to conduct a rigorous investigation against the government and ruling party.

According to comprehensive reporting on the 28th, the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office, which is investigating the early shutdown of the Wolseong nuclear power plant, is about to assign the case after receiving reference materials from the Board of Audit and Inspection following a complaint from the People Power Party. Currently, it is highly likely to be assigned to the Criminal Division 5, a department dedicated to anti-corruption crimes. The head of this division is Chief Prosecutor Lee Sang-hyun. He is considered the youngest member of the Yoon Seok-yeol faction and worked closely with Yoon in 2013 on the investigation team for the National Intelligence Service's interference in the presidential election. Initially, the Criminal Division 3 was also mentioned in the case assignment discussions. Criminal Division 3 is led by Chief Prosecutor Lee Bok-hyun, who is also classified as part of the Yoon Seok-yeol faction. However, after being assigned to the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office in the recent personnel reshuffle, he has been participating in the retrial and management succession suspicion trials related to Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong's national corruption scandal. For this reason, the likelihood of him taking on the new case seems low.

Wolseong Unit 1, which has been shut down, at Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant in Yangnam-myeon, Gyeongju City (right) [Image source=Yonhap News]

Prosecutor General Yoon is under strong resignation pressure from the ruling party due to Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae's exercise of investigative authority and successive announcements of inspections. In this situation, an investigation related to the current government's nuclear phase-out policy is seen inside and outside the prosecution as a decisive move for Yoon. In particular, which prosecutor takes charge of the investigation will be a key factor determining the success or failure of this investigation. If a prosecutor perceived as pro-government is assigned, there is a possibility that the case could be delayed or buried. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office has drawn a line by stating, "The assignment is entirely a matter for the relevant prosecutors' office to decide." However, a lawyer with a prosecution background said, "While it is appropriate for the deputy chief prosecutor of the frontline prosecutors' office to assign the case, the opinions of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and the chief prosecutor can also be reflected."

The early shutdown case of the Wolseong nuclear power plant centers on allegations that the government downplayed the economic feasibility of Wolseong Unit 1 in Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk, and deleted a large amount of related data. When the Board of Audit and Inspection's audit results revealing these facts were announced, the opposition party filed a complaint with the prosecution accusing former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Baek Woon-gyu and others of abuse of authority. Chief Prosecutor Lee Sang-hyun, who is likely to take charge of the case, has previously taken a stance against the administration in cases involving ruling party figures. Until early this year, he served as head of the Public Investigation Division at the Ulsan District Prosecutors' Office, supporting the investigation into the Blue House's interference in the Ulsan mayoral election. At that time, he expressed the opinion to Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Chief Prosecutor Lee Sung-yoon that ruling party figures involved in the case should be prosecuted. After moving to the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office in the personnel reshuffle in February this year, he also conducted a raid lasting over seven hours on the office of Democratic Party lawmaker Hwang Un-ha, who was suspected of irregular primaries.