Spokesperson Jeon Hagyu Also Summoned Again
Third Round of Questioning for Cho Taeyong on the 13th
Lim Jongdeuk, a member of the People Power Party who previously served as the second deputy director of the National Security Office under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, appeared before the special prosecution team (headed by Special Prosecutor Lee Myunghyun) on August 12 as a suspect in the Chae Sangbyeong case.
At approximately 9:03 a.m. that day, Lim arrived at the special prosecutor's office in Seocho-gu, Seoul. He proceeded directly to the investigation room without answering reporters' questions regarding whether former President Yoon had given direct instructions to retrieve records, whether he had ever ordered the retrieval of records, or what communications he had with former Marine Corps Commandant Kim Gyehwan and others after the case was transferred to the police.
Lim has been booked on charges including abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights, in connection with allegations that he ordered the postponement and retrieval of the Chae Sangbyeong case records before they were handed over to the police. Previously, on July 11, the special prosecution team had conducted a search and seizure at Lim's residence and his National Assembly office in Yeouido, securing related materials.
Lim did not attend the so-called "VIP Outrage" meeting on July 31, 2023, where former President Yoon reportedly became furious after receiving the initial investigation results of the Chae Sangbyeong case at a senior secretary meeting on foreign affairs and national security, as he was on personal leave. However, it is known that two days later, on the day the Marine Corps investigation team transferred the case to the police, Lim was in close contact with former Defense Secretary Im Kihun, former Commandant Kim, and others.
The special prosecution team plans to verify what communications Lim had at the time with officials from the Ministry of National Defense, the Marine Corps, and the presidential office, whether he was involved in the retrieval of the Chae Sangbyeong case records, and what instructions, if any, he received from former President Yoon during this process.
At a regular briefing, Deputy Special Prosecutor Jeong Minyoung stated, "Lim, who was the second deputy director of the National Security Office, assisted the president with defense-related affairs," and added, "We plan to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances from the time of Chae Sangbyeong's death, the subsequent transfer of records, and the directives given by former President Yoon regarding the Ministry of National Defense's review."
On the same day, Jeon Hagyu, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, also appeared before the special prosecution team for a second interview as a reference witness. The special prosecution plans to question Jeon about the circumstances during the initial investigation report to the minister, meetings held by the Ministry of National Defense before and after the report, the ministry's response to the cancellation of press briefings, and the distribution of the so-called "mysterious document." Deputy Special Prosecutor Jeong stated, "We intend to investigate the matters discussed at meetings hosted by the Ministry of National Defense regarding the death of Chae Sangbyeong, the basis for the ministry's official statements at the time, and related press releases."
Meanwhile, the special prosecution team will summon Cho Taeyong, former director of the National Security Office and another suspect in the alleged external pressure on the Chae Sangbyeong investigation, for a third time on August 13. Deputy Special Prosecutor Jeong explained, "We will be asking questions to supplement the previous investigation," and added, "We have secured communication records, including those from secure phones, and there are additional matters to verify, so we expect to address those points."
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