Shim Woojung, Prosecutor General, is delivering his retirement speech at the retirement ceremony held on July 2nd at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News
The special prosecutor team led by Cho Eunseok, which is investigating the insurrection and treason cases related to the December 3 Martial Law Incident, will summon and question former Prosecutor General Shim Woojung on September 21.
According to the legal community on September 19, the special prosecutor team has summoned former Prosecutor General Shim to appear as a suspect at 10 a.m. on September 21.
The special prosecutor team is investigating allegations that former Prosecutor General Shim was instructed by former Minister of Justice Park Sungjae to dispatch prosecutors to the Joint Investigation Headquarters during the period of martial law. Former Minister Park reportedly had three phone conversations with Shim from 11 p.m. on December 3, the day martial law was declared last year, until the early hours of the following day.
The special prosecutor team is also looking into suspicions that, during martial law, a prosecutor from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office made contact with the Defense Counterintelligence Command and then proceeded to the National Election Commission. Earlier, during police questioning of several counterintelligence agents, testimony was reportedly obtained indicating that, after the declaration of martial law, they received orders that prosecutors and the National Intelligence Service would soon visit the National Election Commission and that they should provide support.
The special prosecutor team is also said to be investigating why former Prosecutor General Shim did not file an immediate appeal after the court decided to cancel the detention of former President Yoon. Former President Yoon, who had been indicted and detained on charges including leading an insurrection, filed a request with the court to cancel his detention, arguing that the prosecution's indictment was made after the detention period had expired. The court accepted this request and issued a decision to cancel the detention, and since the Supreme Prosecutors' Office did not file an immediate appeal, former President Yoon was released.
In relation to this, the ruling party and civic groups have filed charges against former Prosecutor General Shim, accusing him of abuse of authority for allegedly obstructing a prosecutor's performance of duties through illegal and unjust instructions. The special prosecutor team previously conducted a search and seizure of Shim's mobile phone and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office on August 25.
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