[Breaking] Prosecution Declines Indictment for 21 Accused of 'Illegal Wiretapping' in Yoo Byung-eun Arrest Process

On the 24th, the prosecution decided not to indict 21 individuals involved in the illegal wiretapping incident that occurred during the arrest of Yoo Byung-eun, chairman of the Semo Group, at the time of the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster.

The Public Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Jung Won-doo) announced that it had decided not to indict the 21 accused in the case of illegal wiretapping of radio communications using equipment from the Republic of Korea Army's Defense Security Command and the Radio Management Office during the arrest of former chairman Yoo in 2014.

On the same day, the prosecution deferred prosecution for five individuals, and dismissed the case for one person who had already received deferred prosecution from the military prosecution for the same criminal facts.

A prosecution official stated, "Although six personnel from the Defense Security Command were found to have illegally wiretapped radio communications, considering that the act involved only limited listening to portable radio communications during the process of uncovering the truth of the Sewol ferry disaster?a matter of national interest?and the arrest of Yoo Byung-eun, and that the main responsible persons received a suspended sentence from the court after considering the circumstances that the wiretapping was conducted solely for Yoo's arrest and that no materials were used for other purposes, we took these factors into account."

It was also reported that 15 officials from the Blue House, Ministry of National Defense, prosecution, and Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, who were also accused, were cleared of charges due to lack of evidence proving their involvement in the illegal wiretapping.