Supreme Prosecutor Denies Allegations of Encrypted Phone Calls With Former Senior Secretary
Says "Calls Were Not Related to Any Cases"
Supreme Prosecutor Shim Woojung is responding to reporters' questions on the way to work at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul on March 10, 2025. Photo by Yoon Dongju
Supreme Prosecutor Shim Woojung stated that there was "no phone conversation related to prosecution cases" in response to media reports that he had two encrypted phone calls with Kim Juhyun, then Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs at the Presidential Office, in October of last year.
On June 16, through the spokesperson's office of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, Shim said, "Some media outlets have raised suspicions of a connection to the Deutsche Motors stock price manipulation case and the candidate nomination intervention case, but these claims are completely untrue."
The Supreme Prosecutors' Office stated that while it does not know how certain media outlets obtained the call records of the Supreme Prosecutor, there were no calls related to the cases. It explained, "At the beginning of his term, the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs contacted the Supreme Prosecutor via encrypted phone for a courtesy call, and Shim recalls discussing prosecution policy and administration."
It was reported that Shim recalls either receiving a call from former Secretary Kim or responding to a missed call. The encrypted phone was also provided during the previous prosecutor general's term but has since been returned.
The Supreme Prosecutors' Office said, "The Deutsche stock price manipulation case was one in which the Supreme Prosecutor's authority was excluded, so there was no opportunity for related discussions," and added, "Regarding the candidate nomination intervention case, although it was being reported in the media at the time, it is completely untrue that there were any related phone conversations."
Regarding the Deutsche case, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office explained that the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office decided on Kim's acquittal on October 17 of last year, and Shim received a report on the investigation results from the district chief just before the briefing that day. Regarding the Myung Taegyun case, it added that on October 17 and November 5 of last year, a total of six prosecutors?including deputy chiefs, department heads, and rank-and-file prosecutors?were added to the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation team to strengthen the investigation.
Meanwhile, the Hankyoreh reported that Shim and former Secretary Kim had encrypted phone calls for 12 minutes and 32 seconds at 8:50 a.m. on October 10, 2024, and for 11 minutes and 36 seconds at 2:02 p.m. the following day. The report noted that if the calls were related to investigations involving former President Yoon or Kim, they could become subject to the Kim Keonhee special prosecutor's investigation. It was reported that Shim initiated the first call, and Kim initiated the call the following day.
At the time, prosecutors were concluding their investigation into suspicions of Kim's involvement in stock price manipulation, while the Myung case was under investigation by the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office. Shim was inaugurated on September 16, 2024.
The Kim Keonhee special prosecutor, which is preparing for full-scale operations after its launch, is tasked with investigating allegations that the investigation into the Deutsche stock price manipulation case, the Myung case, and others was obstructed by former President Yoon or the Presidential Office, as well as allegations that public officials deliberately delayed, concealed, or protected those involved in the investigations.
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