Former presidential chief of staff Lim Jong-seok, who appeared before the prosecution on the 20th as a witness regarding allegations surrounding the appointment of former National Assembly member Lee Sang-jik as chairman of the Small and Medium Business Corporation (hereinafter referred to as SBC), exercised his right to remain silent.
Lim exercised his right to remain silent in response to almost all questions, and the investigation ended after 3 hours and 20 minutes.
Im Jong-seok, former Chief of Staff to the President, is appearing at the Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office building in Manseong-dong, Jeonju, on the afternoon of the 20th.
The Criminal Division 3 of Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Han Yeon-gyu) investigated Lim from 1:30 p.m. to 4:50 p.m. for 3 hours and 20 minutes.
After the investigation, Lim told reporters over the phone, "During today's prosecution investigation, questions continued regarding the appointment process of the SBC chairman," adding, "Except for personal information, I broadly exercised my right to remain silent."
Regarding the secret Blue House meeting suspected by the prosecution, he said, "It seems the prosecution suspects that Lee was unofficially nominated at a briefing session before the personnel recommendation committee," and added, "I do not understand why it is a problem for the Presidential Personnel Office to check who is appropriate for presidential appointments."
He also said, "The SBC chairman position is not a significant presidential appointment, so I do not have specific memories," and added, "There was no special procedure compared to other appointed positions."
Lim met with reporters waiting at the Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office in Manseong-dong, Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, in the afternoon and strongly criticized the prosecution investigation.
He said, "As everyone knows, political retaliation investigations against personnel from the previous Moon Jae-in administration started immediately after the inauguration of the Yoon Seok-youl government and have continued for three years," adding, "Now that half of the Yoon administration's term has passed, I cannot help but ask how long they will keep blaming the previous government and how long they intend to continue political retaliation investigations against former government officials."
He continued, "So many people have been subjected to raids and long investigations and trials that there is hardly anyone who has not been summoned or investigated," adding, "Anyone can see that this is excessive, political, and clearly reflects the president's intentions."
Lim said, "I respectfully request President Yoon Seok-youl to personally look into where the misguided loyalty competition among some political prosecutors and the prolonged political retaliation investigation are heading."
He added, "Many people have already suffered greatly and continue to suffer," and said, "Even if the Moon Jae-in administration committed a grave crime, this is enough."
Lim also appealed to the prosecution leadership, saying, "Many public officials have endured unbearable suffering during this political retaliation investigation."
He said, "The prosecution wields a very sharp sword, so it bears greater responsibility and must exercise restraint to prevent abuse."
Regarding the issue of Lee's appointment as SBC chairman under investigation by the prosecution, Lim said, "The appointment process for the SBC chairman was conducted through the same procedures as other presidential appointments," and added, "I sincerely hope that no more baseless speculation will be stirred up."
The prosecution is investigating the appointment process of Lee Sang-jik as SBC chairman during the Moon Jae-in administration and allegations of preferential hiring of Seo, the son-in-law of former President Moon, at an airline.
The prosecution suspects that Lee, founder of Eastar Jet, was unofficially nominated as SBC chairman at an informal Blue House meeting held at the end of 2017.
Earlier, the prosecution indicted former personnel chief Cho Hyun-ok on charges of abuse of authority and summoned key personnel from the Blue House personnel line to ascertain statements made during the meeting.
Lee was appointed SBC chairman in March 2018, the year following the unofficial meeting, and in July of the same year, Seo, former President Moon's son-in-law, was controversially hired as executive director of Thai low-cost carrier Thai Eastar Jet, founded by Lee.
Seo, who had no practical experience in the airline industry, was hired as an executive of the airline struggling with poor performance in its early stages, raising suspicions of a quid pro quo favor linked to Lee's appointment as SBC chairman.
The opposition party at the time, the People Power Party, viewed the Blue House as having intervened in Lee's appointment and Seo's hiring process and filed four complaints with the prosecution from September 2020 to December 2021, requesting an investigation into the allegations.
The prosecution suspects that former President Moon and his wife Kim Jung-sook, who supported their daughter Dahye and her husband financially despite irregular income, arranged for Seo to be employed as an executive at Thai low-cost carrier Thai Eastar Jet and receive a salary.
Recently, the prosecution analyzed account details obtained through the seizure of financial accounts belonging to former President Moon and his wife, confirming when and to what extent the couple supported Dahye's family.
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