Ministry of Justice: "Investigation of Myeong Taegyun Still Ongoing... Forensics Taking Long Due to Large Volume"

At the National Assembly Interpellation Session
"Specific Summons Plans to Be Determined After Analysis"

The Ministry of Justice announced that the investigation related to Myung Tae-gyun's 'Golden Phone' is currently underway. Regarding rumors of the investigation being halted, mainly raised by opposition parties, they explained that the forensic analysis of the Golden Phone is taking a considerable amount of time.

On the 12th, during the government questioning session at the National Assembly plenary meeting, Acting Minister of Justice Kim Seok-woo responded to a question from Lee Chun-seok, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, about the investigation of Mr. Myung and the absence of summonses for politicians, stating, "Currently, the related forensic examination is being conducted," and added, "Once the analysis of the physical evidence is completed, summonses and other investigative measures will be attempted if deemed necessary."

He further stated, "I believe that specific summons plans can only be determined after the analysis is completed."

The six opposition parties have called for the introduction of a special prosecutor regarding the investigation of Mr. Myung. In response, Acting Minister Kim expressed doubts about the necessity of a special prosecutor.

Kim Seok-woo, Acting Minister of Justice, is responding to lawmakers' questions during the political, foreign affairs, unification, and security government inspection session held at the National Assembly on February 12, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

He said, "Although it is said that the investigation has been halted, the investigation is ongoing," and emphasized, "The investigation is proceeding." Regarding claims that the truth should be uncovered through a special prosecutor, he explained, "Mr. Myung has already submitted the phone known as the Golden Phone, and he has expressed his willingness to cooperate with the prosecution's investigation, so a thorough investigation will be conducted through the analysis of the phone."

Regarding the delay in summonses for politicians and others, he said, "There is a substantial amount of content to analyze on the phone, and during forensic analysis, the defendant's lawyers attend, so the analysis process takes longer than expected," adding, "We are trying to speed up as much as possible." Concerning the provision of opinion polls received free of charge, he stated, "It does not automatically constitute a crime, and the circumstances of the opinion polls and other factors must be comprehensively considered."