Autumn, to launch additional inspection... Accelerating investigation of Yoon Chief Prosecutor's close aides

'A Sure Shot Needed... Verification of Facts for Investigations and Inspections Beyond 6 Reasons'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] "We will continue to strictly verify the facts regarding other allegations of misconduct."

As the additional inspection of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol gains momentum, attention is also turning to whether additional disciplinary reasons proposed by Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae will be added. Since there has been controversy over the 'appropriateness' of the six reasons for job suspension publicly disclosed by Minister Chu on the 24th, any additional disciplinary reasons added in the future could partially influence such judgments.

According to the Ministry of Justice and prosecution on the 25th, the Ministry of Justice will conduct further investigations into the inspection results announced by Minister Chu the previous day. The matters announced that day are preliminary inspection results, and it is not easy for them to be recognized as definite disciplinary charges by the Ministry of Justice Prosecutor Disciplinary Committee.

The legal community's assessment is similar. The reasons presented by Minister Chu are at a level where Prosecutor General Yoon can sufficiently refute them through statements and evidence submission during the disciplinary process. Accordingly, the Ministry of Justice is expected to immediately proceed with additional investigations regarding the remaining inspections of Prosecutor General Yoon. Previously, Minister Chu ordered inspections on suspicions related to Yoon, including ▲ meetings with media company owners ▲ concealment of prosecutor misconduct in the Lime case ▲ handling of opposition party politicians' cases ▲ circumstances of no charges in the Optimus case. An audit of special activity funds is also included.

Among these, the issues not disclosed by Minister Chu are the concealment of prosecutor misconduct in the Lime case and the circumstances of no charges in the Optimus case. In the Lime case, the Ministry of Justice has already identified the prosecutors mentioned through a high-intensity investigation and is supporting the testimony of Kim Bong-hyun, former chairman of Star Mobility. In the Optimus case, the Ministry of Justice recently confirmed records of a lawyer entering the office while Prosecutor General Yoon was serving as head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, accelerating investigations of related parties.

The cases on which Minister Chu exercised investigative command are also progressing rapidly. These include five cases: ▲ suspicion of fabricated investigation in the Lime case ▲ allegations of bribery under the name of sponsorship related to Covana ▲ suspicion of stock price manipulation and preferential stock trading related to Deutsche Motors and Deutsche Financial ▲ allegations of fraudulent claims for nursing care benefits related to nursing hospital operations ▲ suspicion of covering up the former Yongsan Tax Office chief's case.

Among these, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office indicted Yoon's mother-in-law, Choi, without detention on charges including violation of the Medical Service Act the previous day. Regarding the Covana sponsorship money allegations involving Yoon's wife, Kim, a search and seizure attempt was made earlier this month, and after the warrant was entirely dismissed, tax documents were separately secured. The investigation into the former Yongsan Tax Office chief's case is in its final stages. At the end of last month, the former chief's previous workplace was already searched, and this month, multiple search and seizures were conducted at the National Tax Service and an Incheon golf course to secure documents.

The variable is the timing of the start of disciplinary procedures against Prosecutor General Yoon. For Minister Chu, the inspection and investigation results need to come out quickly to add to the disciplinary charges. For now, Minister Chu is in a somewhat favorable position. In the case of the Ministry of Justice inspection, Minister Chu is directly directing it, and the investigation of Yoon's close associates is also reportedly planned to be completed internally by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office by the end of this month.

The legal community also speculates that there may be separate inspection cases not disclosed by the Ministry of Justice. The 'surveillance of major case trial panels' was newly revealed by Minister Chu's announcement the previous day. A lawyer formerly from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said, "Looking at the situation so far, the inspection, investigation, disciplinary charges, and job suspension have proceeded in the planned order," adding, "Since it will inevitably lead to litigation, Minister Chu will want to hold as many inspection and investigation results as possible as quickly as possible."