Two Ministry of Trade Officials Arrested for Wolseong Nuclear Plant Data Deletion... Will Investigation Expand to Higher-Ups?

Prosecutors have launched a search and seizure operation at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in connection with the 'manipulation of the economic feasibility evaluation of Wolseong Unit 1.' On the 5th, officials were seen moving busily at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in the Government Complex Sejong.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Two of the three Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy officials suspected of being involved in the mass deletion of data related to the Wolseong Unit 1 nuclear power plant have been detained. The investigation team is now highly likely to investigate whether the Blue House was involved in the economic feasibility evaluation process of Wolseong Unit 1.

On the 4th, Judge Oh Seyong of the Daejeon District Court, who is in charge of warrants, conducted a pre-arrest hearing and issued pre-arrest warrants for Mr. A, a director-level official at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Mr. B, a secretary, on charges of damaging public electronic records and violating the Board of Audit and Inspection Act, as requested by the prosecution. The warrant for Mr. C, a manager-level official and subordinate of Mr. A, was dismissed.

Judge Oh explained the reason for issuing the warrants, stating, "They deny the charges and there is a concern of evidence destruction."

They are suspected of ordering or tacitly allowing the deletion of data related to Wolseong Unit 1 in November last year, just before the Board of Audit and Inspection requested the submission of materials. On December 2 of the same year, when a meeting with the auditor of the Board of Audit and Inspection was scheduled in the morning, they allegedly entered the office around 11 p.m. the previous day and deleted 444 related files.

The investigation team recovered 324 of the deleted files through digital forensics, but 120 files could not be confirmed.

With the issuance of the warrants, the investigation is expected to focus on higher-ups who ordered the data deletion. The key is to clarify whether former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Professor Baek Woon-gyu, former Blue House Industrial Policy Secretary Chae Hee-bong, now president of Korea Gas Corporation, and former Commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office Park Won-joo were involved. There is widespread speculation that summons for questioning will be conducted soon.

The investigation team also plans to ascertain the Blue House’s involvement. There are suspicions that the utilization rate and sales price were deliberately lowered to reduce the economic feasibility, keeping in mind the early shutdown of Wolseong Unit 1. The investigation team suspects that the Blue House was briefed on documents containing a series of related circumstances.