"Assignment Delayed Due to Personnel Shortage... No Special Reason"
"Lee Jeongseop Will Face Some Form of Disposition"
The High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Division (HCID) decided on the 25th to assign the case involving Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung, who was reported in connection with the release of President Yoon Seok-yeol, and to launch a full-scale investigation within the day.
A HCID official stated at the regular briefing on the same day, "We plan to assign the case involving the Prosecutor General's accusation within today." Assignment refers to the formal allocation of a case to a specific department, confirming the person responsible for the investigation and issuing a case number.
Earlier, on the 10th, opposition parties including the Democratic Party of Korea filed a complaint against Prosecutor General Shim on charges of abuse of authority. This was due to the prosecution's failure to immediately appeal the court's cancellation of President Yoon's detention and directing his release, which was seen as an easy surrender despite the possibility of contesting the matter in a higher court.
The delay in assigning the case against Prosecutor General Shim was explained as due to "a shortage of personnel." A HCID official said, "The number of investigative prosecutors is absolutely insufficient," adding, "The timing of the assignment varies depending on the situation, and there is no special reason." Currently, HCID is postponing the appointment of a total of seven prosecutors, including two chief prosecutors and five regular prosecutors.
Regarding the case of Prosecutor Lee Jeong-seop of the Daejeon High Prosecutors' Office, who is accused of leaking civilian criminal records, the official responded, "Some form of disposition will be made within this week." HCID is accelerating the investigation as the statute of limitations for Lee's official secret leakage charge expires on the 29th. On the 21st, HCID conducted a search and seizure at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and summoned Kang Mi-jung, spokesperson for the Justice Innovation Party, as a witness for questioning.
Additionally, on the 24th, HCID secured materials related to Lee's official secret leakage case through a search and seizure at the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office. A HCID official explained, "The search and seizure did not take long, and the analysis will not require much time either," adding, "We believe we have secured meaningful materials."
He further stated, "No decision has been made regarding whether to summon Prosecutor Lee, but since the investigation must be completed within this week, time is not abundant," and added, "It is difficult to disclose whether a summons will be issued." When asked about additional individuals to be investigated besides spokesperson Kang, he said, "As far as I know, there are none."
Prosecutor Lee is accused of accessing the Criminal Justice Information System (KICS) server of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to view the criminal records of individuals unrelated to investigative duties, such as housekeepers and golf course staff, and leaking this information to his in-laws.
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