[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] On the 14th, Park Beom-gye, Minister of Justice, ordered the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to conduct a fact-finding investigation into allegations of the leak of the indictment by Lee Seong-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.
The Ministry of Justice stated that day, "There are suspicions that the indictment in the case of abuse of authority by Chief Prosecutor Lee was illegally leaked before being delivered to the parties involved," and that Minister Park instructed Cho Nam-gwan, Acting Prosecutor General (Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office), to investigate the facts.
Several media outlets reported that based on the indictment of Chief Prosecutor Lee, who was indicted the previous day, former Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs Cho Kuk and Lee Kwang-cheol, Secretary for Civil Affairs at the Blue House (former Senior Administrative Officer of the Civil Affairs Office), were involved in the case.
The prosecution stated that at the time, Secretary Lee reported to Senior Secretary Cho Kuk about the illegal detention case of former Vice Minister Kim, requesting "to prevent Prosecutor Lee Gyu-won from being investigated," and Senior Secretary Cho informed Yoon Dae-jin, Director of the Prosecutor's Office at the Ministry of Justice, about this, which was recorded in the indictment as evidence of investigation interference.
Following these reports, Minister Park expressed discomfort when meeting the press on his way to work that morning, saying, "I am steadily accumulating [evidence]."
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