'Investigation of Chaesangbyeong' by the Corruption Investigation Office, Secures Communication Records of President Yoon's Mobile Phone

The High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Division, which is investigating allegations of external pressure in the death of Marine Corporal Chae, is reported to have obtained the personal mobile phone communication records of President Yoon Seok-yeol.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

With the acquisition of President Yoon's call records, who had been considered the highest 'upper echelon' in this suspicion, attention is focused on whether the Public Corruption Investigation Office's investigation, which appeared to be at a standstill on the surface, will gain momentum.

According to the legal community on the 12th, the Public Corruption Investigation Office's Investigation Division 4 (led by Chief Prosecutor Lee Dae-hwan) recently obtained a communication warrant from the court and secured the call records of President Yoon's personal mobile phone around the time Corporal Chae's death incident occurred in July last year.

This is the first time since the Public Corruption Investigation Office received a report and began investigating allegations of external pressure related to Corporal Chae's case in August last year that they have secured President Yoon's communication records.

Excluding the case where the Special Prosecutor Park Young-soo's team obtained the call records of former President Park Geun-hye, who was under suspension during the state manipulation scandal, it is also known to be the first case where an investigative agency has checked the call records of a sitting president.

Previously, in the call list submitted to the Central Military Court, records were found showing that President Yoon contacted former Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop via his personal mobile phone.

According to the call records, President Yoon made three calls to former Minister Lee on August 2 last year, the same day the Marine Investigation Unit transferred the records of Corporal Chae's death case to the police, using his personal mobile phone.

Based on the call records obtained this time, the Public Corruption Investigation Office is expected to determine whether President Yoon contacted other military officials around the time of Corporal Chae's death.

Depending on the analysis results, there is a prospect in the legal community that the Public Corruption Investigation Office, which had been somewhat stalled after securing testimonies and recordings from Marine officials related to the so-called 'VIP rage theory' in May, may find a new breakthrough.

Previously, the Public Corruption Investigation Office reportedly requested communication warrants three times from the court for those involved in Corporal Chae's case, but all were dismissed.

Song Chang-jin, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Public Corruption Investigation Office, appeared as a witness at the National Assembly hearing on the 'Request for the Impeachment Proposal of President Yoon Seok-yeol' on the 26th of last month, while acting as the Deputy Chief Prosecutor, and stated, "All communication warrants requested during my tenure were dismissed by the court."

However, the Public Corruption Investigation Office recently narrowed the scope of the necessary communication records, requested a communication warrant once more, and finally obtained the warrant from the court, which reportedly included President Yoon's communication records.

Considering that telecommunication companies retain call records for one year, after the first anniversary of Corporal Chae's death on the 19th of last month, the communication records of those involved in the case have been sequentially discarded, so the Public Corruption Investigation Office was in a situation where it urgently needed to obtain a communication warrant.