Among the 6 Mobile Phones of Kim Sung-tae's Executive Secretary, 1 Was Used Domestically... Forensic Attention

Kim Seong-tae Former Chairman's Executive Secretary Park Mo [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Among the mobile phones possessed by the former secretary of Kim Seong-tae, former chairman of Ssangbangwool Group, who was arrested after living abroad as a fugitive, one was confirmed to have been used by Kim in South Korea. This mobile phone could become a crucial variable in the prosecution's investigation, drawing attention to the results of digital forensics.

According to the legal community on the 10th, the Criminal Division 6 of Suwon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Young-nam) recently requested digital forensics from the Suwon High Prosecutors' Office on six mobile phones seized from Kim's former secretary, Park. Among these, two were used by Kim, and one was confirmed by the prosecution to have been used domestically.

When Kim was arrested last month on the 10th at a golf course in Pathum Thani, Thailand, he was carrying a mobile phone, but it was known to have been used only overseas. It did not contain any significant information related to suspicions such as remittances to North Korea.

Accordingly, the data on the mobile phones secured this time has become important for the prosecution. However, there is a concern as Kim and other Ssangbangwool Group executives reportedly replaced their mobile phones last year in preparation for the prosecution's search and seizure. This mobile phone may also have been replaced, possibly yielding no significant findings.

The data currently needed by the prosecution pertains to usage records from 2019, when major crimes such as Ssangbangwool's remittances to North Korea were committed.

Meanwhile, Kim reportedly testified during the prosecution's investigation that he handed over 8 million dollars to North Korea under the pretext of supporting North Korea smart farm projects in Gyeonggi Province and covering the travel expenses of the Governor of Gyeonggi Province (Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party). He also reportedly stated that he spoke by phone three times with Lee through former Gyeonggi Province Deputy Governor for Peace, Lee Hwa-young.

The prosecution secured the mobile phone of former Deputy Governor Lee when he was arrested last September on charges including bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and violations of the Political Funds Act, but it was confirmed that the phone had been replaced after 2019.

The prosecution plans to immediately bring in and investigate Kim, former head of the Finance General Headquarters who oversaw Ssangbangwool's remittances to North Korea and other fund flows, as soon as he arrives in the country on the 11th.