Investigation Practically Difficult in Near Future... Possibility of Investigation in April
Whether to Deploy All Available Personnel a 'Turning Point' in Probe... Lee "Expecting Summons Investigation"
Lee Jong-seop, the Ambassador to Australia and a key figure in the investigation into allegations of external pressure in the death case of Sergeant Chae Sang-byeong, has temporarily returned to Korea to attend a meeting of heads of diplomatic missions from six major countries in the defense industry. Attention is focused on whether the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency (PCC) can summon and investigate him during his stay in the country.
Ambassador Lee Jong-seop to Australia, who is under investigation for allegations of external pressure related to the death of Marine Corporal Chae, returned to South Korea on the 21st through Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport on Yeongjong Island, Incheon, and responded to questions from the press. [Photo by Yonhap News]
On the 22nd, legal circles both inside and outside the judiciary speculated that it would be difficult for the PCC to summon Ambassador Lee, who is at the center of the allegations, and conduct a meaningful investigation, as even a basic preliminary investigation has not yet been carried out.
Ambassador Lee is suspected of reversing approval to transfer the investigation to the police after the Marine Corps investigation team applied charges of negligent homicide to those involved in the case of Sergeant Chae Mo, who died in the line of duty while searching for missing persons during heavy rains last July when Lee was serving as Minister of National Defense.
The PCC received a complaint against Ambassador Lee in September last year and only conducted an investigation of the complainant. Earlier this year, it carried out searches and seizures of related parties. Since then, the PCC has focused solely on analyzing seized materials and has not conducted any investigations of those implicated, including Marine Corps Commander Kim Gye-hwan.
When Ambassador Lee was nominated as Ambassador to Australia and requested the lifting of his travel ban, the PCC summoned him for questioning only then. However, it appears that little was gained from the investigation due to the lack of basic preliminary inquiries.
The problem is that the PCC has not yet completed forensic work on the materials secured through searches of the Ministry of National Defense prosecution team and investigation headquarters, nor on the mobile phone that Ambassador Lee submitted during his investigation on the 7th of this month.
While the PCC is still unprepared for the investigation, Ambassador Lee has pressured the agency by stating, "I hope to have the opportunity to be investigated by the PCC during my stay," adding, "The PCC has said that an investigation is necessary while extending the travel ban, and there has been sufficient preparation time, so I naturally expect the PCC to proceed with summoning and questioning this time."
Legal circles have responded that summoning related parties for investigation without even basic preparation is essentially meaningless.
A former chief prosecutor turned lawyer, A, said, "Holding a summons before completing the analysis of seized materials only shows that there is no key evidence against the suspect," adding, "It has been over two months since the searches and seizures, and the fact that the analysis has not been completed suggests that they have been inactive."
Given the lack of progress in the investigation, the likelihood of a summons for Ambassador Lee in the near future appears slim. However, the fact that Ambassador Lee must attend the meeting of heads of diplomatic missions from six major defense cooperation countries on the 25th of this month, the overall meeting of overseas diplomatic mission heads in Seoul from the 22nd to the 26th of next month, and the upcoming 2+2 diplomatic and defense talks with Australia is expected to work in favor of the PCC. If Ambassador Lee completes all scheduled events, he is expected to remain in Korea until early May.
Currently, the PCC has only filled 20 of its 25 prosecutor positions, and the leadership positions, including the chief and deputy chief, have been vacant for two months. Additionally, four junior prosecutors from Investigation Division 4 (headed by Chief Prosecutor Lee Dae-hwan), which is handling the case, are also investigating allegations of a targeted audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection, making personnel management tight.
Ultimately, whether the PCC can deploy all available personnel to the investigation of the allegations of external pressure in the death case of Sergeant Chae Sang-byeong and accelerate the investigation will be the turning point of this case.
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