Prosecutors Raid Public Corruption Investigation Office Over Alleged False Testimony in Yoon's Warrant Request

The prosecution has conducted a search and seizure operation against the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Division (Gongsoocheo), which has been accused of providing false answers regarding the warrant request for President Yoon Seok-yeol.

Exterior view of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency within the Gyeonggi-do Government Gwacheon Complex. Photo by Yonhap News

The Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Seung-ho) carried out a search and seizure at the Gongsoocheo headquarters on the 28th to secure materials related to the emergency martial law investigation cases filed with Gongsoocheo.

Earlier, President Yoon's legal team filed a complaint with the prosecution against Gongsoocheo Director Oh Dong-woon and others for allegedly creating and using false official documents, claiming that Gongsoocheo had applied to the Seoul Central District Court for arrest, seizure, and communication warrants related to President Yoon's case but gave false answers to written inquiries from ruling party lawmakers.

At that time, Gongsoocheo responded that "there was no request for a warrant for President Yoon at the Seoul Central District Court," but on the 21st, President Yoon's side confirmed through a review of investigation records that Gongsoocheo had applied for seizure and communication warrants at the Central District Court, which were dismissed, raising controversy over 'warrant shopping.' After the seizure and communication warrants requested at the Central District Court were repeatedly dismissed, Gongsoocheo applied for and obtained an arrest warrant for President Yoon at the Western District Court. Regarding this, Gongsoocheo explained, "The investigation planning officer position was vacant, and the prosecutors were assigned to a task force (TF) conducting the investigation, so the document was prepared by a dispatched staff member and submitted to the National Assembly. There were shortcomings."