Investigation Tightens Around the 'Kim Hak-ui Case'... Will the Probe into Higher-Ups Accelerate?

Prosecutors Request Arrest Warrant for Cha Gyugeun, Head of Immigration Office at Ministry of Justice; Attention on Handling of Lee Gyuwon and Lee Seongyun

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The investigation net is tightening around key figures related to the travel ban case of former Vice Minister of Justice Kim Hak-ui. There are ongoing possibilities of forced investigations targeting individuals involved in illegal affairs during the travel ban process. This coincides with Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol’s candid remarks on the promotion of the Serious Crime Investigation Office (Jungsucheong), drawing attention to the direction of investigations into misconduct within the current administration.

According to the legal community on the 3rd, the investigation team led by Lee Jeong-seop, head of the Criminal Division 3 at Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office, filed an arrest warrant request yesterday evening against Cha Gyu-geun, head of the Immigration and Foreign Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Justice, on charges including abuse of authority, obstruction of the exercise of rights, forgery and use of false official documents, and dereliction of duty.

The whistleblower report states that officials from the Ministry of Justice’s Immigration Inspection Department accessed personal information including former Vice Minister Kim’s name, date of birth, and immigration control information 177 times from the morning of March 19 to the afternoon of March 22, 2019, and reported this to superiors. Cha is suspected of approving the travel ban request on the morning of the 23rd, a day after prosecutor Lee Gyu-won of the Past Affairs Investigation Team at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office illegally used the personal information obtained in this manner to impose an emergency travel ban on former Vice Minister Kim.

Earlier, the investigation team summoned Cha three times as a suspect last month, and it is known that more than ten charges have been applied to him.

Within the legal community, it is expected that as the investigation team effectively begins forced investigations, responses regarding Lee Seong-yoon, head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, and prosecutor Lee Gyu-won will soon follow.

Prosecutor Lee is suspected of drafting an illegal emergency travel ban request to prevent former Vice Minister Kim’s departure. As a key figure in this case, Lee was also summoned three times like Cha. This is why there is speculation about the possibility of filing an arrest warrant for him as well.

There remains a possibility of forced investigation against Lee, the then head of the Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Division at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, who is suspected of exerting external pressure on the Anyang branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office, which first investigated this case. The investigation team sent a summons to Lee on the 18th following a complaint filed, but Lee has refused to comply.

Instead, Lee submitted a written statement describing the situation at the time. Denying all allegations of external pressure to halt the investigation, he stated, “Regarding the emergency travel ban on prosecutor Lee Gyu-won in June 2019, the Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Division at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office never directed the Anyang branch to refrain from investigation nor instructed the Suwon High Prosecutors’ Office not to be notified.”

The legal community is paying attention to the fact that the investigation into the “Kim Hak-ui case” has accelerated following Prosecutor General Yoon’s candid remarks. After strongly criticizing the ruling party’s forceful push for the establishment of the Serious Crime Investigation Office, the subsequent filing of arrest warrants is seen as an indication of speeding up investigations into higher-ups.

There are variables, however. After the arrest warrant request for Cha, he applied for the convening of the Prosecutorial Investigation Deliberation Committee to review the validity of the investigation and prosecution. The committee, introduced in 2018, reviews the investigation process and evaluates the legality of investigation results in cases that raise public suspicion or attract social attention. Since the decision on whether to hold the committee must be considered first, it is not expected to affect the arrest warrant request but could significantly influence the future direction of the investigation, according to the legal community’s assessment.