Prosecutors Accelerate Investigation into 'West Sea Official Killing'... Is Park Ji-won’s Summons Imminent?

Park Ji-won, Director of the National Intelligence Service, is attending the full meeting of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee held at the National Assembly on the 25th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The prosecution investigating the 'West Sea Public Official Killing Incident' is accelerating its pace. It plans to soon complete the analysis of evidence secured through the search and seizure of the National Intelligence Service (NIS). Accordingly, there is a high possibility that related figures, including former NIS Director Park Ji-won, may be summoned as early as this week.

According to the legal community on the 17th, the Public Investigation Division 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Lee Hee-dong) is focusing on analyzing the seized materials while weighing the option of summoning related individuals for questioning.

Earlier, on the 15th, the investigation team imposed a one-month travel ban on NIS Director Park Ji-won and arranged for former NIS Director Seo Hoon to be notified upon entry into the country. These measures appear to be preliminary steps for summoning, fueling speculation that the summons is imminent.

Both individuals were reported to the prosecution by the NIS. In particular, former Director Park is suspected of instructing, through his chief secretary in September 2020, the deletion of parts of an intelligence report produced by the NIS regarding Lee Dae-jun, the public official killed in the West Sea. He faces charges including 'abuse of authority.' He is identified as a key 'upper-level figure' in the case.

If the prosecution summons former Director Park, they are expected to question him about the circumstances under which he ordered the deletion of parts of the report and the process of producing the intelligence report. Park has so far actively denied these allegations, suggesting a likely confrontation with the prosecution.

Before summoning former Director Park and others, the prosecution has collected as much necessary material as possible. On the 13th, they conducted a search and seizure at the NIS, and on the 14th, they summoned employees of the Defense Intelligence Headquarters responsible for managing the Military Integrated Information Processing System (MIMS) as witnesses for investigation.

Additionally, it has been reported that the NIS is independently investigating conversations recorded on the inter-Korean direct communication line, known as the 'hotline,' raising interest in whether this information will be passed on to the prosecution. Notably, the NIS is said to be focusing on conversations between then NIS Director Seo Hoon and Kim Yong-chol, head of North Korea's United Front Department, during the period between the February 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and the April inter-Korean summit.

As the prosecution's investigation approaches its peak, civil society is also becoming agitated. Lee Rae-jin, the elder brother of the West Sea public official Lee, held a solo protest near the former President Moon Jae-in’s residence in Pyeongsan Village, Habuk-myeon, Yangsan City, Gyeongnam, the day before. Lee urged, "Please reveal (through the disclosure of presidential records) why my brother was shot and on what grounds and reasons he was announced as a defector to the North." On the same day, about 50 members of the 'Peace Gathering for the Restoration of Daily Life in Pyeongsan Village,' composed of Yangsan citizens and others, held a rally in Pyeongsan Village supporting the restoration of daily life for former President Moon and his wife as well as the village residents.